Birthday Proposal
by GCatsPjs
Summary: A Bones Birthday Proposal  Season 6 Spoilers  only through episode 7 .  Dedicated to my pal Corgipaz on her birthday :
1. Proposal

Quicker than they could keep track of, the weeks were flying by, and Booth found himself in the second week of February wondering where the time had gone. He sat back in his chair and glanced at his watch, cringing when he noticed the date.

Valentines day.

He glanced around the diner at the other patrons, and tried to convince himself that it was very possible that they too had forgotten the date as well, but was sadly mistaken when a loud squeal came from across the room. A younger man was on one knee, the woman at the table had her hands to her mouth in shock as she hugged him tightly and failed to accept his offer, until after she had calmed and he asked again with a nervous laugh. Booth rubbed the bridge of his nose with his thumb and forefinger.

Hannah was out of town again, on assignment with the press corps, she wouldn't be returning for another two or three days, and he knew he had time, he just wished he had someone to spend it with. It wasn't like he really celebrated Valentine's day, and he laughed when he thought about how many years it had actually been since had someone to share it with in the first place. He then thought about what he typically did on Valentine's day. There was either a case, or it was a day off a case, obviously, but he always had managed to be with Bones on that day. It was either paperwork or interrogating, and when there was no case, it was just a quiet dinner of Thai at his apartment or hers and a companionable bickering fest.

He glanced out the window, wondering where his partner was anyway. He had called her to have lunch, but was told that she had made other plans and wasn't in the office. With his relationship with Hannah, it was very often that he and Brennan would not see one another during the times when they didn't have a case, and he'd spend time with his girlfriend instead. His eyes scanned the people outside, and he caught sight of a familiar figure walking in the direction of the diner. He sat up as he watched her head bow forward as she looked down at the ground a bit, the thoughtful look on her face was one that he had often seen. She looked up just as she was about to cross the street, her eyes automatically finding his, and there was a bit of a smile on her lips as his hand lifted in a half hearted wave. She pulled her hand from her pocket, a black glove gracing the soft skin of her hand, and she sent him back a half hearted wave.

Her pace quickened a bit as she crossed the street, and he watched her shove her hand back in her pocket. He watched her walk, her eyes still thoughtful as she stepped toward the diner, the bell ringing as it introduced her presence in the warm confines of the room, she smiled politely at the waitress as she walked toward the back of the diner.

"I thought you couldn't meet for lunch." He said, watching her pull her hands from her pocket as she sat.

"I can't." She said. "I just… how is your day today?"

"It's fine." He said, furrowing his brow confusedly. "You okay, Bones?"

"My birthday is today." She blurted out, her eyes focusing on his.

"What?" He asked, unsure if he had heard her correctly or not.

"My birthday." She replied. "My birthday is today."

"I didn't… Happy Birthday, Bones." He said, sitting forward. "You should have some pie… celebrate with me, take off the coat… stay a while."

"No." She replied curtly. "I don't think that would be appropriate. I have… I have an appointment that I have to keep."

"You don't think that would be appropriate?" He asked.

"Booth, today is my birthday." She cleared her throat. "And… I have come to the conclusion that… there are things in my life that I cannot change. I have made mistakes, and… very often caused people that I care about pain… but I'm… I'm not getting any younger."

"Bones, are you…"

"I'm going to be inseminated." She stated curtly.

"What?" He asked.

"I have reached a point in my life where I feel that it would be detrimental to my self preservation if I remain alone for much longer. I… have seen the love that you give Parker, the love he returns to you, and… and the emotional benefits of experiencing child rearing would be rewarding. Not to mention that the introduction of a progeny with my genetic …"

"Wait, wait… wait…" Booth shook his head, closing his eyes. "What?"

"I am going to be inseminated. I am going to have a child." She said, tipping her head, she smiled. She expected him to be happy for her, to at least show some semblance of excitement for this big step in her life, but all she saw in his eyes was stunned silence.

"No you're not." He said abruptly.

"Excuse me?"

"No you're not." He replied. "You're not."

"I didn't realize I was coming here for your opinion." She said, pulling her chair out, she watched as his face turned red in anger, she was becoming increasingly upset. "Stop looking at me like that." She said, feeling the hot tears in her eyes. "You're supposed to be happy for me."

"Happy for you? Happy for…" He scoffed. "You can't have a baby, Bones… you can't even… you…"

"I don't understand."

"You don't understand?" He spat. "You can't even have a conversation with a child without… speaking in a language that they can't understand… You don't have the social skills to… teach a child to be a contributing member of society, and where are you going to get the… the…"

"Sperm?"

"Bones, we're in a public place!" He whispered angrily. "You can't… just… walk around saying that... we've had this discussion! You can't have a baby, Bones."

She straightened in her chair, the hurt look on her face was not disappearing, and she could feel the stubbornness in her face, the heavy hearted feeling, and the betrayal from the man who was sitting across from her. "So you're saying that its fine if you go around flaunting your happiness, but when I make a decision that I know will make me happy, you have the right to tell me that I cannot do it? I don't know who you think you are, Booth."

"You can't use my stuff." He said stubbornly, watching her stand up.

"I wasn't even going to ask you." She spat angrily. "I was just looking for some support, some support for my happiness. It doesn't appear that I will be getting it here. You are a selfish, selfish man." She shook her head. "You give up your friends, your family… for this stranger that you have injected into all of our lives. You slap on that silly grin, and you talk about how incredibly happy you are. I have news for you, Agent Booth… people who are happy, they don't go around telling everyone that they're happy. They show it by their actions. You're a miserable, miserable man, and I hope that Hannah is very happy with you, because you are only alienating your friends… and if you continue on this path Booth, you are going to be the one to end up alone, because I am done with being alone. I am doing something about it, and there isn't a damn thing in this world that you could say to stop me." She said, inching closer to him. "I am done with being alone." She said, her voice resolute and clear, as she turned and stormed from the diner.

Booth sat absolutely beside himself, watching her form make its way from the doorway, and in a steady, angry walk, stomp down the sidewalk toward the street. He watched as she started to disappear down the street. With a quick drop of several dollars on the table, he was up, and with six long strides, and a bit of a 'giddy up' in his step, he was out of the door and quickly on the heels of his partner before she got too far from him.


	2. Truth

Her high heel shoes were clacking against the sidewalk with such force, it was a wonder they didn't snap off and send her flying across the icy sidewalk. He kept his pace quick and was able to just catch up with her, shocked when she turned just as he was about to reach for her arm.

"Now you're stalking me?" She said, stepping backwards out of the line of the other pedestrians, Booth followed her and faced her.

"You can't just say all of those things and just walk away from me."

"I most certainly can, and I did." She said angrily. "I have an appointment." She said, trying to walk past him, he stood in her way. "Stop." She said, with a look so serious that most anyone would have moved out of her way, but Booth knew that if he moved, she would walk away, and she wouldn't look back, and that scared the hell out of him.

"You are making a snap decision about something that could affect the rest of your life." He said quickly, watching her eyebrows raise.

"I thought you were an advocate of making snap decisions. You are the gambler after all. That's what you said, right?"

"Don't throw my words back at me." He growled, pushing forward, she nearly slipped from the brick wall that he was blocking her against, but she was keen enough to have an exit strategy, so she didn't worry.

"Your words… your words… what have your words meant lately?" She asked. "There was a time when I trusted your words. There was a time where I needed your approval. I don't need your approval for this."

"Bones, you're making a mistake." He said, his voice, low but still filled with anger, he could see that she was not hurt by his words, just more enraged, and he took a step back to give her some breathing room, though he knew that it was very possible that she would take off running. What he didn't know was that she was done running, and she stepped right into him once again.

"The only mistake I made was letting you leave for Afghanistan without telling you what I was too afraid to tell you. I am through punishing myself for that mistake. And then I see you, someone who knows me so well, and you step into me like you think I'm going to take off running from you, Booth. I'm done running from you, okay? I have let my brain rule my life for far too long, it's time my heart got involved." She said, watching the shocked look on his face.

"And for your information…" She said, unable to stop herself, for the emotional high was just feeding into her. "This decision wasn't made lightly. This decision was made final over a week ago when I made the appointment that I'm going to now. There was a point where I thought that I had everything I wanted, that this is how I saw myself in my future, but I see how happy Angela is with Hodgins, with their new child…Cam with Michelle, the relationship that you have with Parker. I didn't come to you for approval, I came to you for support." She said, feeling a bit emotional.

"I spend all of my time in the lab, Booth. The only friends I have, are in the lab, related to my work. I need something outside the lab. I need to start living a life outside of what I expected. I need to live outside what I thought I wanted, and I've decided that this is what I want to live for." She said, watching as his eyes bore into hers. She could see the pain, the sadness, but she kept her focus on him. He needed to see how serious she was, he needed to see that she had changed. She cleared her throat and swallowed hard, her eyes were strong and steady against him. "I learned that you can't just settle for what you expected life to be. Sometimes you have to go above and beyond what you're given, and make sacrifices and intuitive leaps. I am not making a mistake."

He couldn't speak or move at that moment, and the frigid air was tickling his skin as he realized that he hadn't grabbed his jacket from the back of the chair at the diner. He could feel the snowflakes as they started to fall slowly, his eyes on hers so intensely, yet he couldn't think of a damn thing to say to her, to those eyes.

She cleared her throat, swallowing hard against his stare as she watched him shiver. "I have an appointment to get to." She said, her voice low and even, and he stepped aside.

"I'm sorry." He whispered, two words that he wasn't even sure came from him, as he felt his heart twisting in his chest. "Good luck." He said softly, as he turned, following her eyes with his as he watched her turn away from him and continue down the sidewalk without even a second look back at him.

He stood on the sidewalk and watched her disappear into the crowd on the street, the snowflakes dancing through the air, melting on impact as he turned his head toward the diner, and his jacket sitting at his usual table. When he turned back to watch her walk away again, she had already turned the corner and disappeared from sight.

He could feel his heart pounding, and his stomach was clenching, and the headache that was throbbing in his head was making it very difficult for him to think. He walked quickly toward the diner, swinging the door open quickly, he walked through the crowd of people, nearly mowing over the newly engaged couple that got in his way as he walked through. He made a mumbled apology as he grabbed his coat from the chair and elbowed his way back out onto the street.

He started walking quickly in the direction of where Brennan had disappeared down and lifted his phone to his ear. The first number he tried was Brennan's, and it went directly to voicemail, so he tried another number. The moment someone answered, he barked into the phone. "Where is Bones going?"

"Booth?" Angela's voice sounded surprised to hear from the agent, though she was quite certain why he seemed so short with her.

"Don't play games with me, Angela. Where is she going? What clinic, or hospital, or damn back alley barber shop is she going to for this procedure?"

"Booth, it's insemination, not an abortion."

"Where is she?" He barked.

"If she didn't tell you where she was going, then I am not going to be the one to give you that information."

"Ange…" He said, but it was too late and the phone clicked.

"Son of a…" He started to shout, catching the glare of someone in front of him turning. "What are you looking at?" He grunted as he walked past the other man and stomped quickly down the sidewalk in pursuit of his partner, his finger never leaving the speed dial on his phone.


	3. Proposition

He walked quietly down the sidewalk, his finger on the keypad as he tried again and again for Brennan. He stared at the display for several seconds, and then hung up as it went to voicemail, trying again and again. He walked quickly in the direction that Brennan had gone, but had no idea if she had taken a cab, gotten into her car, or simply walked to whatever clinic she was going to. He felt sick to his stomach, shaking in the cold as he looked around for her, feeling desperately alone and confused.

What had started out as a conversation between him and his partner had blown up in his face and ripped out the very center of what they represented. He tried to remember the last time she had spoken to him with such venom, with such anger, such disdain that couldn't even be described but for the fire in her eyes that couldn't be tamed. The truth was, she had never spoken to him like that before. She had never stood up for herself in such a volatile manner, she had never spoken with such venom. He tried her number again, shivering.

He refused to put his jacket on, choosing to feel the sting of the freezing air through his white shirt, his skin reacting to the freezing material as he continued to stomp through the streets, at a loss for direction, he stopped. His watch claimed that it had been nearly an hour since he had seen Brennan, an hour since she had disappeared from sight, and his stomach simply clenched at the thought. He could feel his teeth threatening to chatter, a shiver running down his spine, just as his phone rang.

He lifted the phone to his ear, barking out a greeting that sounded less than inviting, he heard sounds in the background before a woman spoke up.

"Hello?" He said again.

"Mister Booth?" The woman said on the other end of the line. "This is Margorie Klein from Washington Fertility Center. We have a patient here, Temperance Brennan, she has you down as an emergency contact?"

Booth stood up straight, didn't move, and neither did anything around him, so it seemed. "Yes." He stated, acting for all the world that he knew exactly what the woman was talking about.

"She is going to need someone to pick her up." The woman said softly.

"Is she alright?" Booth whispered.

"We have managed to calm her, but she is in no shape to drive herself home, Mister Booth. We prefer if you come for her."

"Calm her? Is she okay? What happened?" He asked, feeling the sense of panic rising in his chest, he wanted to run to her, but he didn't even know where he was at this point. He closed his eyes tightly. "Where are you located?" He whispered.

The woman rattled off the address, and he memorized it as he flipped his phone closed, running in the direction of his car, regardless of how far he had wandered from it.

* * *

The siren was blaring as he drove through the city as quickly as possible toward is destination, traffic signals and pedestrians were the least of Booth's problems as he pulled into the parking lot of the clinic and nearly leapt from the SUV without turning it off. He jogged up toward the door, shoving his keys into his pocket, he looked up at the dark clouds above him and shivered from what he wanted to say was simply the cold, but he knew better than that. He stepped to the front desk, the woman looked up and smiled politely. "Mister Booth?"

"Yes." He said, breathless and nearly shaking.

"Come right through that door there…" She said, standing up, she pointed to the side, and he stepped around and opened the door, watched her nod and followed her down the hallway. "She seems to be pretty calm right now, they may have given her something, but she was quite upset before the procedure, and we couldn't get her to talk to us. She was quite involved in a massive panic attack."

"Did you tell her that you called me?" He whispered, stopping for a second, he knew that he was probably the last person she'd want to talk to.

"We told her." She nodded. "That's what calmed her down in the first place." She said with a sweet smile, he nodded, and they continued down the hallway toward one of the exam rooms. She opened the door and nodded toward the curtain, and Booth glanced to her with a slightly confused expression. "She's dressed, don't be shy." She said with a supportive smile. He nodded his thanks and stepped past her into the room, waiting for the door to latch closed before he spoke.

"You didn't have to come." She said immediately. "You could have sent Angela." She sounded upset, she sounded like she was on the edge of screaming, crying, or just simply falling apart. He had never heard that waver in her voice, and it scared him.

"You told them to call me." He replied, letting his hand remain on the edge of the curtain for a moment, he pulled it back to reveal her form, sitting on the chair across the room, looking small and defeated. "Besides, Angela isn't speaking to me."

"Good for her." Brennan mumbled, staring at the floor for a moment. "I'm angry with you." She said, looking up at him, the glare in her eye was like a flying dagger, landing directly in his heart. "This was supposed to be… my day." She said angrily. "This was supposed to be the day that I did something for me."

"I thought that you did." He whispered.

"No." She said angrily as she stood up. "I couldn't go through with it."

"That's not my fault." He replied, knowing full well that he was getting her more upset, but he couldn't help it. He knew she was preparing to blame it all on him, and he was willing to take the hit for her. "You're not weak, Bones. There's no reason you can't go through with it. You don't need my approval, right?"

"I need your support!" She exclaimed, her voice shrill and angry, her tone broken and sad. "I need your support! I need you to be my friend!"

"Well maybe you should have thought about this before… you know, before you made the appointment! Maybe you should have made me aware of what you were going to do before you just leapt into it head first without a helmet!"

"I don't know what that means!"

"It means you should have talked to me before today, Bones!" He shouted back at her angrily, his own face turning red.

"You were busy." She snapped. "You're busy with your new life, your moving on… your own plans to make your life what you wanted." She replied. "You're busy, and I am trying… so hard to move on…" She said, a tear escaping the anger set eyes, her lip trembling as it deceived her innermost fears. "I want to move on, and you are standing in my way." She said, sucking in a deep breath, she held it as she attempted to not let the sob that she was holding back escape. "You think I'll be a horrible mother." She said, sitting down, she buried her head in her hands.

"No." he said, stepping up to her, he crouched down to her level. "God, Bones… No, please…"

"You said that I was too cold to have a child, too clinical and… and… not able to relate, or teach. You said I'd be a bad mother." She said into her hands, knowing he was just inches away, she continued to stare at the floor through her hands. "I can't do this, if you don't believe in me." She whispered.

"Bones." He said, reaching out to touch her face, it was the first instance of physical contact in weeks, that he had initiated. She looked up at him and he lifted his other hand to the side of her face. "Look at me." He said to her closed eyes. Finally, they opened, and he nearly gasped at the sadness that she had revealed to him, sadness that only moments before was hiding behind her anger at him. "You will make a wonderful, mother."

"That's not what you said." She shook her head in his hands.

"I was wrong."

"No." She shook her head. "You were right. I am a cold, calculating person. I came here with the intent to sit in this cold room, and let them inject me with the sperm of some stranger, simply because I am too afraid to look for a real relationship, to fight for a real relationship. I took the easy way again. I took the easy way again, and you don't support me, and it hurts."

"Bones."

"No." She said, her voice breaking as her lower lip trembled. "Lately, you have been distant at a minimum." She whispered. "You snap at me when I try to explain things, you roll your eyes."

"Bones."

"To be perfectly honest, I am surprised you haven't asked to be transferred from working with the Jeffersonian. I hold you back."

"You don't hold me back, Bones. You and I have the best solve record. You can't deny that chemistry."

"We're not the same as we used to be." She replied. "I should go home." She said, turning her head from his hands, he reached for her hand.

"Bones, please don't walk away."

"I am sorry that I made you come all the way out here." She said, walking over to the sink, she pulled a tissue and dabbed her eyes.

"No." He said softly. "I was looking for you. I needed to talk to you about this."

"Now you don't have to worry about it. I have changed my mind. That's what you wanted, right?" She asked, straightening her back as she stared into his eyes intensely.

"I want you to be happy." He whispered.

"You don't want me to be happy." She whispered. "You want to be in control." His jaw clicked when his teeth clenched, attempting to not say a word. "If you really want to be in control, and be happy, Booth, if you want me to be happy? You would choose me over Hannah." She said, her tone absolutely serious. "I wouldn't leave you every week chasing down a story, I wouldn't let you wake up alone, and I would most certainly ensure that cocky grin never leaves your face. " She said as she stared into his eyes, waiting patiently for a response.


	4. The Tell

_"I want you to be happy." He whispered._

_"You don't want me to be happy." She whispered. "You want to be in control." His jaw clicked when his teeth clenched, attempting to not say a word. "If you really want to be in control, and be happy, Booth, if you want me to be happy? You would choose me over Hannah." She said, her tone absolutely serious. "I wouldn't leave you every week chasing down a story, I wouldn't let you wake up alone, and I would most certainly ensure that cocky grin never leaves your face. " She said as she stared into his eyes, waiting patiently for a response._

* * *

He straightened his spine, the near sarcasm in her voice caught him off guard, and he just stared at her for a few seconds. "Excuse me?" He said in a tone that expressed his seriousness quite clearly.

"If you want me to be happy, you would leave Hannah and be with me." She replied quite seriously, her eyes challenging him to argue. "I was sure that my request was clear." She said, watching his face scrunch up in confusion.

"You…" He cleared his throat and watched her eyes bore into his. "You rejected me." He said, as if that reply would say it all. His body began to involuntarily shake, as his eyes narrowed. "You rejected me, and then you ran from me."

"I didn't reject you." She replied. "I rejected the implication that our relationship would be a gamble." She said, facing him strongly. The anger he was showing was simply feeding into her words, her honesty. "I rejected you asking me to give this a try. I never rejected you. I rejected your offer."

"And how is what you're saying to me now any less of a gamble?" He replied.

"I'm not giving you an option for failure." She stated clearly. "I can ensure your happiness. Hannah cannot. If you say no, then the subject is dropped, but you get absolutely no say in what I do with my life in the future."

He was shocked by her words, her up front attitude, and the clear challenge in her eyes. He wasn't exactly discouraged, just surprised, and watched as she stepped toward him. "Bones." He whispered.

"May I ask you a question?" She asked, her voice low, she watched his eyebrows rise in curiosity. "Why did you agree to donate your sperm to me originally? What were you thinking when you were in that room? Besides the hallucinations… Did you think you were just doing a friend a favor? Did you think that you could get something out of it? Did you agree because you felt that if you were the father, I would have some piece of you?"

"Bones, stop."

"I want to know. I need to know. Was that another gamble? Why did you offer up a piece of you then, but now that you're with someone, you tell me that I can't do something that I know will make me happy. Why do you question my intentions now, but you didn't question them then? Why did you attack who I am as a person now, and not then?"

"I didn't attack you."

She was gaining confidence in spades, and he wasn't sure how to handle it. She was staring at him with an icy stare, and he could feel his body reacting. He could feel his stomach flipping, his heart racing. "You told me that I couldn't. You told me that I was emotionally unable to raise a child. Yet when you were the chosen donor, you told me that I would make a good mother. Which time were you lying to me?" She asked.

"Bones, we shouldn't be having this conversation here." He said, staring at her sternly, her eyes flickered around the room and settled back at him.

"Why? Are the anatomically correct pictures of genitalia making you feel inadequate?"

"Bones!" He exclaimed, seeing the satisfaction on her face at making him squirm. "Did you have me come here so that you could take another swing at me, or did you have me come here because you were having a panic attack?" He asked gruffly, watching a flash of pain in her eyes.

"I need to know the real reason that you don't approve of me having this procedure." She replied. "Is it because you want to be the person to impregnate me, or is it because you're such an unbelievable control freak, that you can't see me being happy without you? Because if either of those are the case, perhaps you should re-evaluate your relationship with a woman who puts so much sodium hypochlorate in her hair that it's possible she'll be bald by the time she reaches the age of forty."

Booth's face was becoming redder with each sharp stabbing word that slipped between his partner's lips. She was angry, but her sarcasm was biting like a hungry piranha, and she didn't look angry any longer. She looked relieved at what she was saying, as if what she was saying had been on her mind for far too long, and her eyes were so clear of guilt, that it almost frightened him. He wanted honesty, and he was getting it.

"Did I scare you with the big words, Booth?"

"That's enough!" He said finally. The only words he could think to say to her at that moment without revealing any answers to any of her questions. "Just… be quiet!" He said, taking deep breaths to try to calm himself, he could feel a sharp pain in his chest. He then saw it, the flash of pain in her eyes that he knew was hidden somewhere. It wasn't because he had told her to be quiet, it wasn't because he hadn't answered her questions, it was because she had said all she had wanted to say, and all she had left were hurtful words. "What, do you want me to say?"

"I want the truth. Then I want you to walk out of that door." She whispered.

"I don't know what to say." He said, his teeth clenched as he watched her eyes narrow.

She took a step forward, and she shook her head just a bit, keeping her eyes on his. "I remember when there was a time that you used this… to make decisions." She said, lifting her hand, she rapped her knuckle on his sternum and watched his eyes flicker down to her fingers, and back to her eyes. "It was sometimes slightly more accurate then when you used this." She said, moving her hand down, she rapped his stomach slightly, and never wavered from his eyes. "But you've never, ever been right when you've used this to make a decision." She said, reaching her hand down, she grabbed hold of his belt buckle and watched his eyes widen in shock as she yanked it hard. He emitted a yelp as he stood chest to chest with her, her eyes still narrowed, her hand still wrapped firmly around his belt buckle, she watched the shock melt from his face. "Where did you think I was going to grab, Booth?" She asked, watching that hard swallow as it made its way down his throat. "Don't yell at me. Don't treat me like I am a child, don't make it sound like my decisions are less important than yours. Don't roll your eyes, don't treat me like crap because you can't express your thoughts and feelings in a way that gets things through to the other person. If you have something to say to me, then say it to me." She said, moving to release her hand from the belt buckle, his hand reached down and grabbed it, and it was her turn to gasp.

"We are not having this conversation here." He said, holding her hand firmly. "Get your bag, get your coat on, and come with me." He paused. "Please."

Her eyes remained on him for a moment, and she could feel the blush in her cheeks at what she had done, the realization finally dawning on her.

He watched her eyes on his and could see her cheeks blushing, the anger turning to a demure, shy, anxiety. It was probably one of the most adorable moments he had seen from his partner, the way she reacted moments after getting all fired up, the way that her eyes flickered like a stubborn forest fire, the flames dying down, but the glowing embers still beneath. "If I go with you…"

"If you come with me, you'll get the answers you're looking for. I promise."

"Will I like these answers?"

"You will have to be the judge of that." He said, finally releasing her hand, she pulled it from his buckle and swallowed hard as he turned and grabbed her coat, opening it for her to step into, she looked up at him and he lifted it onto her arms, helping her to pull it closed, they spoke not a word as she cinched the tie on the coat tightly and stared at his chest as she shouldered her bag. "Are you ready?"

"Yes." She whispered, taking his offered hand, she kept her eyes on the floor in thought, as he led her silently from the room and toward the waiting car.


	5. The Hand She's Dealt

_Brennan sat silently at the bar, a glass of wine in her hand as she watched the ruby red liquid move in circles as she stared silently at it. She sighed as she chewed her bottom lip, watching the liquid swirl in a continuous circle. The barstool beside her slid across the wooden floor and Brennan noticed out of the corner of her eye, a form sit solidly in the seat and lean on the bar a bit as she ordered herself a water. _

_"Hey." Angela said, a bit out of breath as she noticed her friend's concentration on her wine glass. "Are you alright?"_

_"Yeah." She said with a slight smile, she looked to her friend._

_"You started without me." Angela replied._

_"Since you can't drink, I figured it couldn't hurt to get a head start." Brennan replied._

_"Touché," Angela replied. "I brought you a gift." _

_"Ange, every year we get together the week before my birthday and celebrate, and every year, you get me a gift."_

_"And every year, you tell me not to. You're my friend; I want you to be happy." Angela said, watching Brennan's concentration on the wine again, the glass rising to her lips as she sipped from it and slid it just a bit forward for the bartender to refill. "Sweetie, are you okay?" _

_"I'm fine, exactly where I want to be." She replied._

_"You don't sound like someone who is where they want to be, Bren. You sound like someone who wishes they could be somewhere else. What's going on with you?"_

_"Do you enjoy being pregnant?" Brennan said, turning her eyes toward her friend. "I mean, does it feel fulfilling, to know that you have a living being growing inside of you?" She asked. "Is it empowering?"_

_"Right now, it's exhausting." Angela said honestly, shifting in her seat. "Why do you ask, sweetie? You're not thinking of going through with insemination again, are you?"_

_"I've looked into it again, yes." She replied. "I just, the first time I wanted to do it, I had a stronger support group, you know? Now you and Hodgins are together, and… I don't know now if I could do it alone."_

_"Sweetheart, you're a smart woman."_

_"A genius."_

_"Right." Angela said, letting out a slight chuckle. "You have every right to do what you want with your body and your life. But don't you think you should wait until you find the person that you want to share a child with, instead of putting the cart before the horse?" Angela asked delicately. Brennan didn't answer, she simply brought the glass of wine to her lips and unceremoniously tipped her head back, swallowing every last drop in the glass, before setting it down and looking to her friend. "Bren, are you sure you're alright?"_

_"I never told him why I said no." She said, staring at the dark red liquid as the bartender poured her more._

_"What?"_

_"Booth." She sighed, swirling the wine in the glass, she could feel the warmth in her throat and the fuzziness of her mind. "He said we should give this a try." She said, laughing sarcastically in the glass. "He's a gambler, and we should give this a try."_

_"Wait… sweetie, what?" Angela asked, trying to understand through her friend's garbled voice what she was trying to say._

_"It's not a big deal, it was a long time ago." She sighed. "Am I so damaged that taking a chance with me would be equivalent to a gamble, Angela?" She asked innocently. "Aren't I worth the benefit of the doubt? Aren't I worthy of a promise of trying, through anything? Or am I just another bet, another… worthless item he's willing to lose?"_

_"Bren, you are going to have to explain this to me, because you've lost me."_

_"Yeah." She sighed, sipping at the wine. "You're not the first, and you won't be the last." She grumbled. Brennan swirled the wine again, feeling emotional all of a sudden, she paused. "I went for an appointment… a checkup. If all goes well, I could be inseminated next week." She replied. "I'm thinking about doing it for my birthday." She sipped from the glass._

_"You already picked out a…"_

_"Donor." She nodded. "Yes."_

_"Is it Booth?" Angela asked, her question innocent enough, but she should have known better, for her friend's reaction was to begin to laugh. "Bren, you really need to slow down with the wine." She said, laughing nervously as Brennan continued to laugh nearly hysterically at her friend's question._

_"No." She shook her head, trying to control her spinning head and spinning mind, and the fear of bursting into tears right there. "No, it's not Booth." She replied. "Booth is with Hannah. It wouldn't be appropriate for me to ask."_

_"Did you at least tell him?" Angela replied._

_"No."_

_"Don't you think you should?" Angela asked, receiving a glare from her friend, she held a hand up in defense. "Only because you work together. This is going to change things for the two of you, the way you work, the dangerous situations that you guys get into, chemicals in the lab…" She went on and Brennan shook her head._

_"I'll tell him when he needs to know."_

_Angela wanted to say more, but she could see that her friend was upset. The last thing she needed was to be guided to do the right thing. Brennan wasn't a stupid woman, she knew that she'd need to discuss things with her partner, but right now she was upset, right now she was doing some serious thinking about serious issues that would affect her life in the long term. _

_"Are you going to open your gift?" Angela asked, nodding toward the small box she had placed on the table._

_Brennan reached her hands forward and fiddled with the box for a moment. "Ange, you know you…"_

_"You already said that, just open it, or I'll take it back." She said, reaching for the box, she let out a laugh when Brennan pulled it away, and gave her friend a playful glare. She opened up the box slowly, and Angela watched her friend's slow smile as she looked at the necklace in the box. "Do you like it?"_

_"I love it." Brennan replied, pulling the necklace from the box, she looked at the different stones that were on the chain, and in her mind she thought of a couple of outfits she could wear it with. "It's really beautiful, Ange."_

_"I made it."_

_"Of course you did." She said, a tear slipping to her eye as she wrapped her arm around her friend, receiving a hug in return, Angela held her for an extra long couple of minutes. "I don't know if I can do this without Booth's support." She whispered._

_"Then you need to tell him, sweetie." Angela said, pulling from the hug, she could see the pain in her friend's eyes. "He loves you, Bren… whether or not it's the same as it once was, he still loves you."_

_"He's been very cold and distant lately."_

_"I know. I've noticed that too." Angela replied, nodding, she watched Brennan hold the necklace in her hands securely. "He's just… he's trying to convince himself he's happy, trying to convince himself that he's moved on, and moved past all of this."_

_"You don't think he's happy?" She whispered, watching Angela scoff at the thought. _

_"Any person that walks around and spouts off how happy they are… either they have a screw loose, or they're miserable. I think he's just trying to distance himself from you right now, Bren. Don't take it personally."_

_"But it is personal." She replied._

_"Listen." Angela said as she looked into her friend's eyes without a shred of doubt. "You are the one in control of your destiny, Bren. You have lived the life you expected, right?"_

_"Yes."_

_"Well, now it's time to broaden those horizons. Now it's time to push the boundaries, and do things that you never thought you were capable of doing, take risks that you've never taken… make decisions that will get you exactly what you want, and show you more of what life is about than you ever imagined."_

_"What if I fail?" She whispered._

_"Then I'm here to help you out, sweetie. But you won't fail, because you're not alone… even if you think that's what you are, you're not." Angela said, hugging her friend close once again. "What do you say we take this party back to my place… pick up some ice cream, or some cake… and watch some movies?"_

_"When you say ice cream or cake…"_

_"Yes, I mean both." She said with a loud laugh that made Brennan laugh as well, she pulled out several dollars from her purse and tossed them on the bar to pay for Brennan's drinks, and she grabbed Brennan's arm, and the two of the walked from the bar together in pursuit of more early birthday cheer._

* * *

Booth continued to drive them quite aimlessly around the city, his eyes moving to his partner who appeared to be quite involved in a daydream, her eyes focused on the outside, she had said nothing since they had gotten into the car.

"Where do you want to go?" He asked, grabbing her attention, she looked to him as if she were confused as to why he was talking to her. "Where do you want to talk?"

"Church." She whispered, turning her head. "Take me to your church."

"Bones?"

"I know you won't lie if we're in a church." She whispered, her eyes moving toward the window again, he watched her out of the corner of his eye, as he drove them toward his place of worship.


	6. Show Me Your Cards

Booth pulled the car slowly into the parking space at the church but didn't dare look to his side at the woman sitting in the passenger seat. He knew that she had been studying his face for a long time, probably since she had suggested that the venue of their conversation be the church. He had contemplated her request, and knew that she was simply being rational about it. She knew that he would tell her the truth in any setting, but he also knew that she wanted him to be confident in knowing she believed his words.

He stole a glance in her direction and her eyes didn't flicker away in a nervous way. She didn't feel caught or confused, her eyes remained steady on his. "You ready to go in?" He asked, watching her slight nod, she then broke eye contact to exit the car, climbing from the seat, she grabbed her coat and pulled it tighter around herself.

She waited for the sound of his door closing before walking toward the door of the church, and within a moment, he was behind her, his hand gently placed at the small of her back. It was a simple gesture, but one she had missed, and she wondered for a moment what had happened to have it back in its rightful place once again. She increased her pace and stepped away from his leading hand, showing him, if not subconsciously that she didn't need to be led. This was her conversation, and she knew where she was going.

She walked toward the front of the church, her shoes clacking on the thin carpet of the aisle as she made her way toward the front set of pews, sliding in to the seat, he followed suit and rested his hands in his lap, sitting an inch of two from her, he watched her tie her fingers in knots as she sat silently in the empty church, the lights of the altar brightly lit her face, and wanted to speak, but found no words as he waited patiently for her to begin.

"I'm sorry." Her words were a surprise to him, and he found that he had no response, simply patience as she waited for her to continue. "I'm sorry that I didn't talk to you about this earlier." She replied. He cleared his throat and stared at the pew in front of them. He listened to her patiently. "I talked with Angela about it. I had known that it was on my mind for a while, and I should have discussed it with you."

"It's fine." He whispered. "Like you said, it's your life. I don't have a say in what you do with your life."

Her brow furrowed at his words, and she glared at him out of the corner of her eye. "You don't really believe that."

"I don't believe it, but it's true."

"Do you support my decision?"

"I don't know." He whispered honestly.

"You have to have an opinion on it, Booth." She said, watching him twist his fingers with his other hand, he shook his head.

"I don't want to hurt your feelings." He said, looking up at her.

"You've already hurt my feelings." She replied honestly. "We're not here to spare feelings. We're here for the truth."

"So ask your questions." He said, catching her eye, she seemed a bit irritated, so he didn't push, he just waited.

"Were you ever in love with me?" She asked, the question leaving her lips quickly and solidly, that he nearly choked on his own intake of breath, she watched his face turn red slightly and she wasn't sure if she had embarrassed him, or if she had made him angry. She waited for him to answer.

"What kind of question is that?"

"One that deserves an answer." She said, glaring at him. "It's a simple question. Were you ever in love with me?"

"Yes." He said, nodding his head, his eyes lifted to the high ceilings of the church, his head shaking as he tried to control his breathing.

"Are you alright?"

"I'm fine."

"You don't look fine."

"I'm fine, Bones." He said, his voice echoing slightly in the empty church, she looked to her face, and she gave him a slight smile in return. "I'm fine." He said softly.

"When did you fall out of love with me?"

"Bones."

"Just answer the question, Booth."

"These questions aren't going to solve anything, Bones. They're just going to…"

"Booth!" She exclaimed, this time her voice echoed through the church, and his eyes fell upon hers as the echo finally slipped into the walls, his eyes wide with determination. "Just answer the question."

"I… Bones, don't make me do this." He shook his head.

"Fine." She said, standing up, she started to walk down the pew indignantly, when she felt his hand on hers.

"Sit down." He whispered. "Just, ask another question, okay?"

She glared at him for several moments, unsure if she was going to let him pass on this important question, and rethought her approach. She needed to start small, like an interrogation. She had learned enough about how This works, it isn't like this was her first time asking the questions. She sat down slowly, sliding her purse into her lap, she felt him move closer to her, closer than he had been when they had originally sat down. "Are you really happy?" She whispered.

"I'm content." He replied. "I'm not happy with how our relationship has turned." He said softly.

"You've been cold toward me, impatient." She paused. "You don't see the pain in my eyes, it's like you don't even look at me anymore."

"Bones."

"No." She shook her head. "I understand that you're in a relationship, I understand that you're content, but I don't understand why you continue to push me away. I don't understand why I have become a casual acquaintance. I don't understand why you think that hurting me is going to make your relationship with Hannah any better. I don't understand how…"

"Bones… stop, I get it."

"No, I don't think you do get it." She said, straightening in her spot. "Do you even see the way you've alienated your friends? Do you even see how you've changed, and not for the better. Do you see the way you've just abandoned your family to be with her? What does she know about us? I mean, it's fine if you want to be with someone who isn't within our circle of friends, but… at what cost? The cost of the people who love you and respect you? The cost of their respect for you?"

"You offered to lie to our friends, to tell them that I couldn't make it to Angela and Hodgins' announcement."

"And you should have had enough willpower to have done that for your friends. I was disappointed in you, Booth. I was very disappointed."

"Bones…" he said softly, the words that she was speaking were filling his heart with pain, and he knew that she was speaking from her heart. "I'm sorry."

"We're not here for apologies, Booth. We're here for answers." She stated sternly. "Why did you behave that way this afternoon? Why did you treat me like that?" She asked. "Because your reaction has really confused me. Do you think I would be a good mother?"

"Yes."

"So you think I should be inseminated?"

"No." He said quickly, accepting her perplexed expression wholeheartedly.

"Your answers are confusing me."

"Your insistence at needing a child with a random stranger is confusing me." He replied honestly. "Why do you feel that you need to do this, Bones?"

"I explained this to you earlier." She said, catching his eyes. "I don't think I should have to explain it again."

"Humor me."

"See, this conversation is getting nowhere. You've taken all of my questions and turned them into more questions for me. This is my opportunity to get answers from you, not your opportunity to get answers from me."

"You want to take, Bones… you have to give."

"I have given, Booth." She said, shifting away from him. "I've sacrificed. I resent your implication that I haven't given you anything." She said, her voice deepening to anger, Booth reached for her and she pulled away. "You know nearly every single thing about me, because I let you in. It has been over six years, Booth. What do I know about you? What have you given me?" She said, pulling away from his extended hand again. "No. No, you don't get that connection, you don't get to comfort me. You're the one that is hurting me. You can't see it because you're too busy trying to prove to me that you're happy, when all you are is content. You don't get to be the one to hold my hand and make me feel better about this, because you can't stab me with one hand and hold me with the other. It doesn't work that way, Booth. It doesn't." She exclaimed, not realizing that tears were falling down her cheeks now, and her hands were out in a defensive manner. "Why didn't you fight for me?"

"Why didn't I fight for you?"

"Yes. When I told you that I couldn't change, why didn't you fight for me? Why didn't you show me what I had? You just stepped back and said you had to move on. Is that when you fell out of love with me?"

"Bones."

"Tell me, Booth? Is that when you fell out of love with me?" She asked, pulling from his attempt to hold her hands again. "Tell me!" She exclaimed, standing up, her voice echoing again, she was suddenly pulled toward him as she gasped at his standing figure as they stood face to face.

"Stop this!" He whispered, angrily. "Stop!"

"Then just tell me the truth!" She growled into his face. "Just tell me."

"I never fell out of love with you, Bones." he said between gritted teeth, catching the escape of air from her lips, as a sigh of relief was finally exhaled.


	7. Up The Ante

She looked directly into his eyes and stared for what felt like an eternity to him. He tried desperately to read her expression but quickly found that he had never seen this look on her face, he had no way of knowing how she would react.

She took a step back suddenly, her step almost a stumble as he reached for her, and she swatted at his hand, sitting hard in the pew, she stared ahead.

"Bones?" He said softly, waiting for her to respond or at least acknowledge that he was standing right there. "Talk to me." He said, sitting down beside her.

She knotted her fingers again, her mind flickering with thought upon thought as she recited to herself the words that he had just spoken. She couldn't hear him sitting beside her calling to her, for her mind was far too full of his words, too full of the tone and anger he put into his words.

Her brain was stammering, her heart racing, as she tried to figure out what she could do now. She felt his hand on hers, and resisted the urge to pull it away, allowing him for that moment to comfort her. "I… made a mistake." She whispered. "I shouldn't have told you about my appointment." She said, trying to stand up, she stumbled a bit, and allowed him to catch her before she tumbled from the pew.

"Bones, please talk to me."

"There's nothing to talk about." She said, turning around to face him, she nearly ran into his chest. "There's nothing more to talk about."

"Bones."

"You said that out of anger. I'm sorry I forced you to say something that you weren't ready to say."

"Bones, look at me."

"I'm sorry that I need your support sometimes." She said into his chest, pressing her hands against him again, pressing firmly into his chest. "I'm sorry." She said again.

Booth stood with his hand on her arm, watching her push against him, and his heart ached for her. The situation was familiar, far too familiar for him to find any comfort in her apology. "What do you want, Bones? What do you want me to do? Tell me what you want."

She stopped pushing and looked up at him, her eyes shining with unshed tears. "I want… to be happy."

"You have to be more specific, Bones. This is me you're talking to here." He replied, feeling her hands drop from his chest. "What do you want?"

"I want… I want… to show you that I have an open heart. That I kept people at a distance because I was afraid of getting hurt, but all it did was end up hurting me. I want… to show you that I'm not a gamble, I'm not a bet, I am a sure thing."

"You want…?"

"You, Booth. I want you, all of you. Not just your…" She paused, lowering her voice. "Not just… your child, not just your partnership. I want all of you. I've lived my entire life hiding from myself, convincing myself that I had exactly what I want. I convinced myself that what I expected out of life was what I deserved and what I had. I want more."

"Bones." He shook his head.

"I know you're with her. I know this is a selfish request, a selfish demand… but you asked." She whispered fiercely. "What do I do now?" She asked, completely sincere in her request. She stared into his eyes waiting for an answer, a reply, anything. She expected rejection, disbelief or anger, but found nothing but his searching eyes as he worked through his mind what she had just said. "Booth?"

"Yeah?"

"Why don't you want me to have a child?" She whispered.

"It's not that I don't want you to have a child, Bones." He said sincerely. "It's just that… I don't want you to feel cheated out of making one the natural way… the way nature intended, Bones."

"By having… sex." She said, watching him cringe, they both looked to the altar and back at the other.

"You just had to say it once in here, didn't you?" He asked, an eyebrow rising as he watched a bit of humor lift into her eyes. "And it's not sex, Bones. What you want isn't sex. You want a child born out of love, not a one night stand… not a medical procedure. You're too special for that, Bones… When your child is conceived, it should be a product of making love." He whispered.

She swallowed hard at his words, the tenderness within his voice was nearly too much for her to handle. She sucked in a deep breath and let it out heavily, trying to will the tears in her eyes away. "Booth?"

"Hm?"

"We still haven't had our Valentine's Day Thai yet."

He smiled at her thought, a complete turnaround from their previous conversation. "That's because it's for dinner. Just like last year and the year before." He shook his head. "You're hungry?"

"Starving." She said, watching his eyebrow lift again. "Metaphorically speaking."

There was a slight pause as all pretenses slipped, and all masks fell as they stood together in the church. His hands reached for hers as he slipped them slowly into hers. "Bones?" He whispered, watching her eyes flicker up to his with an almost shy expression. "We'll figure this out, okay?"

"I'm not going to take 'no' for an answer."

"And which one of us said 'no'?" He said, settling his hand in hers. "Come on, let me take you to dinner." He whispered, as she gripped his hand tightly, and slowly, the two of them walked to the end of the pew. With his arm wrapped around her shoulder, they walked down the aisle of the church and out into the blustery February wind, in search of something to feed their bodies and their souls.


	8. Hold

Their typical decision of Thai takeout was thwarted when they got back into Booth's car and both realized the awkwardness of the situation. Neither of their apartments appeared to be safe havens from that awkwardness, and their only other option was to have Thai at the lab or his office. So they changed venues, something that wasn't out of the ordinary for them, and decided to go to the diner.

Sitting at the table, eating their silent meal they looked around the diner and found that it was quiet for that hour of the evening. "It doesn't appear that there are many people eating at the diner this evening." Brennan said, looking around casually, avoiding his eyes completely as she poked at her meal.

"Well, it's Valentine's day, Bones. A lot of people go to fancier places than the diner for Valentine's day."

"I don't believe in Valentine's day." She said, looking up, he caught her eyes and smiled.

"I know that." He said, with a laugh. "You tell me every year, and every year we eat Thai, and talk about cases, talk about work, talk about anything."

"Right." She nodded, looking back at her plate, she continued to eat, her eyes flickering up to see his fingers holding a french fry, kind of rolling it in his fingers as if he were trying to decide whether or not to eat it. He tried to catch her eyes, but couldn't, and she sighed, sensing his imploring gaze. "I don't know what to say anymore." She whispered, her eyes on his plate, as she leaned forward, she lifted her eyes to his. "I told you what I want, but you've said nothing."

"I don't… know what to say, either." He shrugged, leaning toward her.

"You're still in love with me."

"Yes."

"But you're also in love with Hannah."

He paused. "I love her, yes." He whispered, watching the pain in her eyes flicker just slightly. He wondered why today was the first time he had seen such pain, that it had to have been there before today. He felt blind for not having seen it earlier. "Bones. This isn't… easy." He reached across the table for her hand. "I can't just…"

"I don't suppose it is." She said, pulling her hand from his reach, she sat back in her chair and looked up. She watched him across the table. "You have decisions to make. Perhaps I should leave you to your thoughts?" She asked, sitting straighter in her seat, he shook his head.

"No… no, it's fine. We're having a nice meal, don't go."

"I think it's necessary." She said, placing her fork down in the plate, she finally looked him in the eye. "I have… decided to waive my decision to be inseminated for another month."

"That's good." He nodded, watching her focus on him for a moment. "That's good, right?"

"I am unsure of what you mean by it being good." She stated with a scrunch of her nose. "I am giving you ample time to make a decision, and to act upon that decision. If you choose to break things off with Hannah and pursue a relationship with me, then we can discuss that. If you choose to remain with Hannah, then I will continue with my original plan of insemination."

"And what if I choose neither of you?"

"Then you and I will continue to work as partners." She shook her head, watching his expression change to confusion.

"You are saying that you would be willing to just work with me, if I were not willing to pursue a relationship?"

"That's how we spent the first six years of our partnership, is it not?" She replied curtly, annoyed that he just didn't seem to understand the importance of it all.

He had no room for argument on that fact, what she had stated was correct, even if it did sound a little odd to him. "Bones."

"Booth. I love you." She whispered, leaning closer to him. "This isn't a decision that should be made lightly. I suggest you really think hard about what you want, what makes you happy… and what the circumstances of each decision would be. Consider who knows you best, and who you're willing to share with. Consider personal intimacy as well as sexual. There are many degrees of a relationship that I don't think that you and Hannah have even touched the surface of.

"And you?"

"I want to touch it all." She whispered, completely aware of the innuendo, she watched his eyebrows lift in surprise. "You said to me that day, that you knew, Booth." She paused, watching his reaction to her words. "You said that you wanted someone who would love you, for what would become the rest of your life. You said that you wanted to be loved in return. I love you, and I tried not to and that was so very painful. I know who you are, Booth. I know everything about who you are and what you stand for, and whether or not I agree with those things, whether or not I believe the things that you believe in. I have learned to not… tolerate it, not just… accept it. I've learned to love those things about you. And you? You know me better than anyone. You know who I am. I want you to think about those things, Booth. Can you do that?" She asked watching him open his mouth to speak, she reached across and touched his hand, stopping him for a moment. "Listen." She shook her head. "Give me a month, one month. I'm not going anywhere, but no cases."

"For a month?"

"Yes."

"Bones, cases happen."

"See if you can work without the Jeffersonian." She replied. "You don't use me for every case anyway. It's a month, Booth. We need to limit our time together. You need to determine your priorities. If you want to make a decision, this is the way it should be."

"Can I see you?"

"I don't understand. Of course you'll see me… we're in the same social circles. I don't expect you to avoid me. We just won't be working together."

"And you're not leaving town?"

"No." She said as she started to stand up. "I should go."

"Bones, sit… sit and have dessert with me." He said, watching her gather her purse in her hands, she looked to him and shook her head. "At least get your leftovers put in box or something."

"I don't want leftovers, Booth. I don't want dessert." She said, watching his eyes. "Thank you for the Valentines meal."

"Same time next year?" He asked with a smile that met his eyes, he saw a glimpse of an almost smile from his partner.

"Goodnight, Booth."

"Goodnight, Bones." He said softly, watching as she turned and walked confidently from the diner, his eyes never leaving her figure until she disappeared around the corner toward the Jeffersonian to find her car, leaving him to his thoughts and decisions, and the half eaten plate of French fries in front of him.


	9. Live Blind

Brennan stepped into the lab at ten minutes before six the next morning, carrying herself with a new sense of something. She felt well rested and awake, carrying her thermos of hot tea, she stepped into her office and went immediately to work. Her phone remained fairly quiet for the early morning, though her eyes grazed the device more than once out of habit. At eight o'clock, a figure blocked her doorway, and Brennan looked up with a smile.

"You went through with it." Angela said with a bright smile, watching her friend's eyebrows rise questioningly, the refreshed look in her eyes was nice to see for a change. Angela waited for a second, seeing several emotions pass over her friend's face. "Bren?"

"I took a different approach." She said as she looked back down at the paper in front of her.

"A different approach?" Angela asked, moving toward the desk slowly, she eased herself into the couch across from her friend's desk and eyed her carefully. "What do you mean a different approach?"

"I wasn't pleased with the choice of donors." Brennan said looking up, she gave her friend a friendly smile and returned to her work.

"Did this decision have anything to do with the frantic phone call that I got from Booth yesterday afternoon?"

"I told him of my decision yesterday afternoon, before my appointment." Brennan said softly. "He over reacted as was expected, and I'm sure that's why he called you."

"And he convinced you to wait?"

"He convinced me of nothing." Brennan said, looking up. "I have made my decision, and I made it clear to him. I understand the path to my happiness now. I cannot lead him in a direction he's not willing to go in. It's not my responsibility. What I can do, is show him the facts as they stand. I failed in the past when it came to my emotions, and I had become literal in every aspect but expression of those emotions. I told him how I feel, and what my goal is, and I have given him time to make the necessary adjustments if he chooses."

"Wait." Angela replied, shaking her head. "Booth is your other approach?"

"Booth is a different approach." She straightened in her seat, her eyes were still as clear as ever, and she appeared to be so relaxed. "I went to him to tell him that I was going to have a child, and he refused to support me."

"Did he say why?"

"He says that I am too special to have a child in such a cold and calculating way. He spoke of making a child out of love, not through the plunging of a syringe. And while I didn't understand at first, I see the romanticism in his words."

"You asked Booth to be your donor?"

"I asked Booth to be my lover." She replied, correcting her friend's statement. She watched Angela stare at her with an expression of shock and surprise. She knew that Angela would surely have an opinion on this, so she cleared her throat and continued. "I'm tired of pretending that I don't have emotions. I'm tired of pretending that I'm happy that Booth found someone that he can express his innermost desires to sexually. I'm tired of pretending that I am happy, and that happiness can come in the form of a test tube full of sperm. I want it all, and I feel that I've earned it. I've spent over six years with a man that I respect more than I ever thought anyone ever deserved. I worry about him, dream of him, and hope that he'll just change his mind and choose me again. Then I think… nothing in this world ever just 'happens' because it should… things are created because people try new things. Inventions are invented, hope is returned, and love is made. Not because we are lackadaisical, but because we do something to make these things happen. I was tired and wanted some sleep, Angela. So I took a risk."

"What did Booth say?"

"He loves Hannah." Brennan stated quickly. "He loves me also, but he and I have grown apart."

"Only physically, Bren." Angela shook her head. "He still relies on you." She said, watching her friend carefully.

"I hope that he finds that I would be much more useful in ways that Hannah cannot fulfill, but there is no way to tell the future, no way to know what he's thinking."

"Unless you ask."

"I'm giving him time, Ange." Brennan replied. "I'm giving him time, and space. I'm not running away. I'm here if he needs me."

"He knows this?"

"He has always known this. He just has to realize that." She said with a smile.

Angela watched her friend's peaceful smile, her eyes were so bright and sure, and it was that moment that Angela knew that Brennan was quite aware of what she was doing, and in the end she would be all the better for it.

* * *

Booth hadn't slept well the night before, having made his way home from the diner to find himself with a sour stomach from the pie he had eaten for dessert. He had gotten a call from Hannah at about midnight, talked briefly before insisting that he go to bed. She wished him well and said goodnight, and left him to lie in bed alone, staring at the wall across the room until nearly four in the morning. When he had finally given up on sleep, he climbed from bed and showered, walking into his office at nearly ten of six that morning.

He wasn't stressed or anxious, not frustrated or angry, he just couldn't keep himself from letting the day before repeat itself time and time again in his mind. He couldn't stop seeing those eyes staring at him, and the strength in her voice, the determination. He couldn't help but feel affected by her emotions and her upfront attitude.

She wanted a month.

One month.

One month for him to gather his thoughts and obsess about her words.

One month to decide whether or not he could be happy with what he had now, and happy with her choices.

One month to see for himself what it was like to work without his partner, knowing that she was just a phone call away.

One month to determine what was most important in his life and decide whether or not he could have it or let it go.

One month to hurt someone he loves.

One month to prove to someone that he loved them enough to give a piece of himself away.

One month to sacrifice.

One month.

He sat at his desk, staring at his cell phone, neither here nor there as he attempted to find where his thoughts had disappeared to, when the display lit up, and it began to buzz lightly on the desk. His heart jumped into his throat, and he saw that it was Hacker on the line. He lifted the phone to his ear.

"Booth."

"We have a case for you, Booth. You're going to need Temperance on this one."

"Yes, sir. Send me the information." He said, his eyes staring at nothing as he listened to his boss's voice. The click on the other end of the line ended the call, and he put the phone back on his desk.

It was going to be the longest month of his life.


	10. The Spread

When the Jeffersonian vehicle pulled up to the crime scene, Booth could feel the anticipation in his body, and knew that if she stepped out of the vehicle, that everything would be fine. If she stepped out of that van, then nothing would have changed, and all of the words that had been spoken the day before would have been out of emotion and forgotten, and they would just get back to the way things were supposed to be.

He watched the van come to a stop, as he took a step forward, and waited in trepidation as Cam climbed from the driver's side.

"Hey, Seeley." She said, walking toward him with a curious look on her face, but his attention was on the van, as he watched the passenger side door open. His heart sunk into his stomach when he saw Wendell climbing from the van, and his eyes must have held a look of desperation when he turned to face Cam.

"Doctor Brennan said she's out on this one." Cam said, watching as Booth tried to regain his composure from his look of obvious disappointment. "What did you do to piss her off this time, Seeley?"

"None of your business, Camille." Booth said back, glancing back at Wendell, he attempted to pretend that this was all routine for him. "Hey, Wendell. Body is over here." He said with a nod, pulling out his small notebook, he walked with Cam and Wendell to the body.

* * *

Booth stood over the body while Cam and Wendell worked on some scene specific details. Booth wrote in his notebook and watched them talk while he took notes.

"Looks like blunt force trauma."

"So… murder." Booth replied.

"Not necessarily."

"So you're saying he just hit himself over the head with something?" Booth asked incredulously.

Wendell looked up at the agent and gave a humored smile. "No, I'm just saying we can't rule anything out. You okay, Booth?"

"I'm fine." He grunted. "Thanks. Just… let me know if there's anything else I should know." He said, turning around.

"Where are you going?" Cam asked, looking up at his retreating form.

"I've got things to do." He said, waving at them as he walked away, he trudged back to the SUV.

Cam looked to Wendell and they exchanged a look. "I wonder what happened." Wendell said to Cam as she continued to look at the body and obtain evidence.

"Mr. Bray… guts, slime… rotting corpses… I can handle that… but Booth and Brennan's relationship? That's one set of remains that I think I'll pass on." She said as she stood up and glanced to the other techs. "I need the body, surrounding samples, photos… and the plastic the body is wrapped up in… send it all to the Jeffersonian." She said, watching the tech nod, she looked down to Wendell. "You ready?" She asked. The intern nodded and smirked as he stood up, pulling his gloves off, as he followed Cam back to the van.

* * *

Booth drove from the crime scene and headed back toward the city. He didn't feel like going back to his office, and he couldn't go home, so he spent some time driving and thinking, trying to clear his head. His mind was still reeling about the conversation he and Brennan had the day before, and knowing that she almost went through with the insemination procedure without talking to him made him shudder. He looked at himself in the rearview mirror, his eyes looked tired, and he realized that he hadn't even shaved that morning. He wondered for a moment what was happening to himself, that a day ago he could be so put together, but one afternoon of the truth from his partner, and he was a nervous wreck.

He wondered how she was doing, whether she was wondering or worried about his decision. He wondered if she was sleeping well, if she was upset with him, or angry. He couldn't say that he had been surprised to see Wendell showing up in place of her, but he couldn't say he was very happy with that fact, and wondered if she would be getting involved in the case at all.

He drove toward the Hoover, his phone ringing just as he got to the parking garage, and he lifted the phone without a second thought. "Booth."

"Hey, you." Hannah's voice worked its way through the line, and she sounded especially cheery.

"Hey." He said, smiling into the line, he felt a bit anxious talking to her, and he wasn't sure why. He paused on the line and waited for her to reply.

"Are you alright?"

"I'm fine." He replied, his tone was a bit odd, and he noticed it. If he noticed it, then she obviously noticed it, though she didn't let on.

"I'm going to be home tonight."

Home.

"Oh." He replied. "Good, I've missed you." He said, his convincing tone lacking its credible edge. "I'm just getting back from a crime scene."

"Ah… another case?"

"Yes."

"Say hello to Temperance for me." There was a long, awkward pause on the line, and Hannah listened for a moment. "I'll see you tonight?"

"See you tonight." Booth said, trying to sound positive, but knowing that the thoughts on his mind would be a hindrance.

"I love you."

"Love you too." Booth replied, the words slipping from his lips as more of a habit than anything else. He pressed the 'end' button on the phone, and he dropped the phone on the passenger seat and pulled into his parking space. He pulled the car into park and stared out of the windshield at nothing. He pulled out the small notebook that he had used to write notes on, and flipped open to the notes he had taken at the crime scene. He then turned the page to the next blank page, pulling his pen from his pocket, he drew a line through the middle. On one side, he wrote 'Hannah', the other he left blank. He knew who that side was for, and he knew he'd need all of the space he could get for her.


	11. Play Behind

Booth spent the remainder of the afternoon in his office, waiting to hear from the lab about the victim. He knew that it could be a day or two to get details, but that didn't stop him from taking the occasional obsessive glance at his phone. It was nearly six o'clock when he lifted his phone for a second and looked at the screen, noting that there were no missed calls, he closed his eyes in an attempt to clear away that constant worried feeling as his eyes flickered to the notebook on his desk.

It was open to that page with the line, his girlfriend's name across the left side, the remainder of the paper empty. He opened his eyes and was nearly startled by the person standing in his office door. "Sweets." Booth said, feeling his heart speed up at the surprise of seeing the psychologist standing before him.

"Booth." He said, closing the door. "Are you okay? You look a little stressed."

"I'm fine." Booth said, setting the phone back down on his desk, he gave Sweets an irritated glare. "I'm fine."

"People tend to say they're fine a considerable number of times more when they're not fine, Agent Booth." Sweets pointed out.

"Well, I am fine. What do you want?"

"Doctor Brennan talked to me today. I saw her at the diner this afternoon having lunch with Angela." He said, taking another step into the office, he watched Booth's head tilt slightly. "She informed me that you two would not be working together as partners for the next month."

"I'm sure she explained all of the goodies behind the arrangement, and you're just here to see my reaction so you can do your psychological evaluation on me, and determine whether or not I'm fit to be in the line of duty."

"Actually, she told me nothing."

"What?"

"Nothing." He shook his head. "Nada, zippo, zilch. She just told me that was the arrangement and went ahead with ordering her lunch. I was wondering if you could enlighten me." Sweets replied.

"If Bones said nothing, then I have nothing to say on it either." Booth snapped back. He sat at his computer, staring at the screen, finding the game of solitaire he had up on it incredibly intriguing all of a sudden. He played for nearly two minutes, when the psychologist's prying eyes made him look up. "Why the hell do you make me feel like I'm being hounded by the media?"

"You and Doctor Brennan are my friends, Booth. I just thought that…"

"You just thought that you could get somewhere else as a professional? We don't need a professional, Sweets. What we need most is a friend." Booth said, looking up at the man. "So if you can't separate friend from professional, maybe you should just keep your fake intentions to yourself."

"Booth, I…"

"No. It's fine." Booth said. "I'm working on something here." He muttered, clicking his jaw in anger as he clicked the mouse harder with his finger, waiting impatiently for Sweets to leave.

"I just thought that… that you might want to talk about it."

"I'm taking a break from my partner, Sweets." He said, looking up at him angrily. "I'm not breaking up with my girlfriend." He said, feeling a sudden weight on his chest at his words, he tried to keep it together, tried to hold steady with his gaze, but found that it was quite difficult with the last words he had spoken flinging around his brain like a slingshot. He then stood up abruptly, grabbing the small notepad from his desk, he flipped it closed. "You can stay here if you want." He said as he grabbed a couple more things, and adjusted his jacket, as he pulled at his tie and glared at Sweets. "I have somewhere that I need to be." He said, shutting the computer screen off, he grabbed his phone and quickly pocketed it, and with that, he left his office quickly and without a second look, unable to release the breath he was holding in until the elevator doors closed. He took a step back and rested his back against the elevator, pinching his nose between his fingers as he let out a frustrated growl. He waited for the elevator to get to the garage, as he marched angrily from it and toward the SUV.

* * *

He got into the SUV and started driving, winding his way through the streets, he found himself in a part of town that was familiar. Surprised to see that the old pool hall was still a pool hall, and that it hadn't been closed and boarded up in the recent economic decline made him feel somewhat comfortable in his current state. He pulled the SUV to the side of the road, parking behind an old beat up truck, he sat in the SUV for several minutes. He put his hand on the handle, feeling that old itch beneath his collar, that suffocating feeling that he'd get if he wore his ties too long, or kept that top button buttoned for too long.

His fingertips itched, a feeling that he'd get when he'd get that temptation to gamble, a feeling that he hadn't had in a very long time. The neon light of the sign beckoned him, taunted him as he felt his phone buzz in his pocket. He pulled it from his pocket, and with disregard for the person on the line, or for the pure excitement of the gamble, that anyone could be on the other end of the line, he pressed the button.

"Booth." He said with a short bark, waiting to hear the voice on the other end, there was an obvious pause.

"Seeley?"

Hannah. Of course it was Hannah. She was probably home by now, waiting for him, wondering why he wasn't eagerly awaiting her arrival. "Hey." He said, the depth of his voice was enough to make her pause again, and he could practically feel her mind working around just the tone of his voice.

"Are you okay?" She asked.

"I'm fine." He said, attempting to sound upbeat. "Are you home?"

"Actually." She stopped this time, a sigh escaping her lips. "We were on our way in, but there was an ice storm. I'm stuck in Cincinnati."

"Cincinnati?" He asked. "I suppose there are worse places to be stuck." He said with a hint of humor, he listened to her nervous laugh.

"Yeah, I guess you're right."

"So you won't be home tonight?"

"I don't think so. Probably tomorrow afternoon at the earliest." She replied.

There was another long pause, thought filled pause, an anxiety ridden pause. "I'm sorry." He whispered.

Hannah instantly had the feeling that she wasn't talking to a man who was simply saddened by her change of travel plans. He was upset about something.

"Seeley, do we need to talk about something?"

"Yes." He replied instantly, before he was able to stop himself, the word escaped his lips. "But don't worry about it, okay?"

"Are you angry with me because I missed our first Valentine's day together?"

"What?" He asked. "No… no." He said with a sigh. "I don't… I don't even celebrate Valentine's day." He replied, without thinking of how it sounded. "I'm just having a long day. I didn't sleep well last night."

"Alright."

"I'll see you tomorrow." She replied.

"See you tomorrow."

"I love you." She replied, yet she couldn't get over the feeling she was begging for his response.

"Love you." He said, letting a small smile appear on his lips. "Have a good night."

"You too." She said, reluctantly hanging up the phone.

Booth heard the click and pressed the button to turn his phone off, his eyes still focused on the flickering neon sign. He flexed his hand, which was itching all the more and pocketed his phone. He climbed from the SUV and watched the sign for a second, listening to the occasional car drive by behind him, as he walked around the car and toward the door.

He paused in the doorway for a second, the dim light above him seemed dimmer than he remembered, and he stared for a moment, until the opening door jarred him from his reverie. He grabbed the door and held it open for the man who stumbled out with a grateful nod, and he stood holding it open long after the man climbed into his cab. He flexed his hand feeling that itch, and without a second thought, the turned and walked into the bar, letting the wooden door slam behind him.


	12. Dead Hand

The bar was just as smoky as he had remembered, and the stench made his nose scrunch in disgust as he tried to remember the last time he had been in this establishment. His eyes moved to the bar, two barstools sitting empty by the swinging door on the bar, and he turned his head from the memory. He walked to the opposite side of the bar, his eyes followed by the bartender, who smiled in a state of almost recognition. Booth wasn't sure if it was the same bartender as the last time he had been here, and it most likely wasn't, but he was eying him like he knew him. Perhaps he just knew his type.

He probably looked exhausted, the night of sleep that he had lost to his thoughts was not his first bad night of sleep lately, and with forgetting to shave that morning, he was fairly sure that he looked like he had lumberjack potential. He lifted his hand to his face, scratching the 5 o'clock shadow as he turned toward the bar, his glass of scotch already sitting in front of him. He didn't remember ordering it, but nodded to the bartender just the same as he sidled up to the bar. He sat on the barstool, his back to the pool tables as he listened to the hard thwack of the pool stick breaking the balls that had been set up, and the gentle thump as a couple of them landed in the pocket.

He closed his eyes as he sipped the scotch, trying to block out the sounds of the game behind him as one of the men celebrated his victory. Booth moved his hand against the glass, hoping that the coolness of the ice in it would soothe the itching, soothe that urge to turn around and participate in something that he had forsaken. His leg began to thump lightly as he took another sip of his drink, his eyes lightly raking over the different bottles of liquor behind the bar as he tried to block out the sound of another crack of the pool balls, and the sound of them rolling across the table, sliding into the pockets with a resounding clunk.

His hand moved to his pocket and he pulled his phone from it, wondering for a moment if he should turn it on. They were working on a case. He thought as he turned the phone on and stared at the screen for a moment. He sighed as he watched the screen, wondering if it would announce he had a voicemail, conflicted over whether he was happy or not that there wasn't one. He lifted his eyes and turned his head slightly, allowing himself a glance at the game behind him. The tall man at the pool table was cackling as the shorter man glared at him, hunkering down to take a shot. He watched as he lined up his shot, noting that it was the wrong angle as the man pulled the stick back and made solid contact with the ball, sending it rolling into the others, as no other balls were sunk. Booth flexed his hand again, feeling that itch as he turned back toward the bar, his other hand on his phone, flicking the tiny tab at the top, he felt the ringer turn on and off again as he listened to the taller man shout again as he won another game.

Booth brought his glass to his lips, noting that it was empty, he couldn't remember drinking the entire glass, but was more than willing to get a refill when he caught the eye of the bartender. He grabbed the glass off the bar and took a long swig of scotch, pinching his eyes closed as he set the glass down again.

"Are you alright, man?"

"Fine." Booth grunted as he nodded toward the glass, the bartender nodded and poured him another, stepping away as he tended to other customers. Booth tried to stop his leg from thumping, turning in the barstool, he found that twisting it in the leg of the stool was a good way to cease that. His eyes fell onto the game of the two men at the pool table, as they racked up again, preparing themselves for another round. His one hand was settled solidly on the glass, his other still flicking the ringer on his phone again and again as he watched the game progress. He watched the taller man take the shorter man's money ball for ball, as the cursing became a bit louder, and the frustration obvious.

Booth kept his eyes on the game, mesmerized as the taller man laughed loudly at the other man's misfortune, drinking beer as he laughed, and laughed louder at the other man's scowl. Just as the game ended, the last ball in the pocket, Booth couldn't hold in the need anymore. Just one game wouldn't hurt, if only to shut the winner up. Besides, he could use a little extra cash, one game wouldn't hurt. He put the glass back down on the bar, turning in the barstool just a little as he waved to the bartender that he was done. He opened pulled his wallet from his pocket, tugging out the money for the drinks as he flipped through a few bills to put down on his bet. He pulled out the money, placing the tab on the bar as he slid it toward the bartender, and wadded the rest up carefully as he started to turn in his chair.

Suddenly, his phone chirped in his hand, causing him to jump at the sudden loud sound of the siren like ring. He felt himself falling forward, his leg jammed in the leg of the barstool, he nearly tumbled as he caught himself on the bar, sending his phone smacking against the bar as he steadied himself. The bartender and several other patrons watched him as he angrily straightened himself up and glared, scooping the phone off the bar, he slammed his finger into the button to answer it. "What?" he growled angrily, waiting for a moment as he tried to compose himself, he felt the money poking into his hand as he glanced over at the pool table.

"Booth?"

He stopped, his eyes widening at the voice on the other end of the line. He suddenly felt heat rising up his neck to his ears as he felt the scotch burning the back of his throat, making it impossible for him to answer.

"Booth, are you alright?"

He coughed, clearing his throat as he sucked in a deep breath. "Bones?"

"Booth, are alright? What's going on? Are you okay?" Her voice seemed very concerned, and he was trying to catch his bearings as the flood of thoughts began to swirl in his mind.

"I'm fine, Bones." He said softly. "I'm fine." He said, his other hand aching painfully as he realized that he had been clenching the rolled up cash too tightly, he slammed it into his pocket and covered his ear with his hand as he walked toward the door to avoid the sound of the music playing overhead.

"Where are you? Are you drinking? Are things alright with Hannah? Did she arrive home safely?" She asked sincerely.

"I'm fine, Bones." He replied, ignoring her questions, he walked toward the door and pushed his way out into the February cold, immediately feeling the bite on his skin. "What do you need?" He asked, the harshness of his voice melting away as he walked toward the SUV, feeling the crunch of the snow beneath his feet.

"My bag is in your truck." She replied.

"Your bag?" He said, walking toward the vehicle, he pressed the button to unlock it.

"Yes. My field bag. My notes are in it."

"You're sure it's in the truck?" He asked, pressing the button on the back hatch, he opened it, and immediately noticed her brown bag, sitting against the box with her gumboots, and some other field supplies. "Nevermind, I see it." He said, taking a deep breath, he touched the bag, his hand resting on the canvas material as he lifted it out of the back. "Do you need me to bring it to the lab?"

"Not tonight." She said, pausing for a moment. "I am at home. I just wanted to know if you could bring it into the lab tomorrow when you get a chance, or I can have Wendell pick it up."

"Uh… no… no, it's alright, I'll bring it to the lab tomorrow. I can do that." He said, suddenly feeling nervous talking to her on the phone, as if doing so was something he wasn't supposed to be doing, yet it felt so natural.

"Thank you." She paused. "I'll… let you get back to whatever it is you were doing." She replied. "I'm sorry if I interrupted your evening."

"No." he said abruptly. "No, no… it's fine." He replied. "I'll see you tomorrow."

"Yes." She replied. "Goodnight."

"Goodnight, Bones." He said softly as he pressed the button and pocketed the phone and slipped it into his pocket. He took a step forward and grabbed the hatch of the SUV. He then swung it closed, holding her bag securely under his arm as he walked around to the passenger side. He opened the door and placed it on her seat, carefully ensuring that it was securely positioned as he took a step back and closed the door. He took a step back, flexing his hand as he walked around the truck, he glanced back to the doorway of the pool hall, noting that the itch in his hand was gone. He rubbed his fingertips together for a second as he rested his head on the driver side window for a moment, taking a second to let the scotch that had risen in his stomach to slide back down into its rightful place, as he felt a surge of frustration. Without thinking or the ability to stop himself, he reared his hand back, and slammed it full force into the side door of the SUV, feeling the cold skin of his hand cracking at the impact. He lifted his hand to his eyes as he rested his head on the window for a second, breathing heavily as he pulled his bloodied hand back, grabbed the door handle and climbed into the SUV.

He sat hard in the seat, his hands resting on the steering wheel as he watched the blood trickle down his hand for a moment, his head resting on the head rest, he tipped it back and closed his eyes. He yanked the keys from his pocket and shoved them into the ignition, and without thinking or caring about his obvious inebriation, he pulled his car into traffic, and carefully made his way home.


	13. Under The Gun

The lab seemed quieter than usual when Booth stepped through the doors, though it could only be in his imagination that it was quieter, he couldn't be certain. It had been weeks since he had stepped into the lab for longer than five minutes to have something signed, or drop something off. He found himself staring blankly toward his ultimate destination, the brown canvas bag in his hands was gripped tightly. He took a step and immediately heard a voice from the platform.

"Well if it isn't our long lost FBI agent." Hodgins spoke with a bit of humor to his voice, though catching himself as soon as he saw the glare on Booth's face, and the tightness in his jaw. "What can we do for you, Agent Booth?" He asked with a sheepish grin.

"Bones."

"Doctor Brennan was in her office a little while ago, though she may have gone down to bone storage. Do you want me to go get her?" He nodded his head in the direction of bone storage.

He felt a sense of relief hearing that she wasn't there, yet a part of him felt slightly disappointed, and there was a tightness in his chest that he had been trying to get rid of since he had woken up that morning. "Um… no, no… it's okay, she just wanted me to drop off her bag." He said nonchalantly, though to him he could tell there was nothing calm about his reply, but he must have fooled Hodgins, for he just went back to what he was doing, leaving Booth to his own thoughts.

Booth stepped toward Brennan's office, the bag in his hand was held with an even tighter grip, as he stepped toward the darkened room. He felt his heartbeat start to settle a bit, feeling absolutely ridiculous for being so nervous about seeing her. He stepped to the sofa and placed her bag down, taking a moment to release it from his grip, he was startled when the light turned on. He turned quickly as if he had been caught doing something he shouldn't have been doing, and his jaw dropped slightly.

"Booth?" Brennan said, a bit of a gasp on her own lips as she saw his ears turn bright red at the surprise of her lights being turned on.

"Bones, geez… give a guy a heart attack!" He said, attempting to recover from the surprise quickly, he found it difficult to keep eye contact.

"Are you alright? Do you have a pain in your chest?" She asked, stepping forward.

"No." He said, holding his hand out. "No, I'm fine. Sorry… you just… you surprised me. I brought your bag." He said, pointing to it, she walked around him and watched him with concerned eyes.

"I see that, thank you." She said, finally catching his eyes with hers. "Are you sure you're alright?" She asked. "You sounded angry last night when you answered the phone." She said, looking down, she noticed the haphazard bandage on his knuckles. "Booth, what happened?" She asked, reaching for his hand, he pulled it away.

"It's nothing, don't worry about it. I was just being stupid. I'm fine."

"Let me see it." She said, insisting on taking his hand in hers, he finally relented. "Did you get into a fist fight?"

"No, Bones. It's just fine, Bones… please. Just let me be embarrassed about it in peace, okay?" He said, trying to pull his hand from her grip, but she already had her finger under the medical tape he had applied with an uncaring hand.

"Let me get out my first aid kit." She said, taking his wrist, she pulled him across the room.

"Bones… please?"

"It can get infected, Booth." She said, looking up at him, she could see the blood that had seeped through the thin bandaging. "Whoever bandaged your hand did quite an insufficient job, and was most assuredly not a professional."

"I'm waiting for you to ask me if this had something to do with Hannah." Booth said with a sarcastic laugh, watching Brennan's hands stop pulling at the bandage, she removed it from his hand and looked at the cuts.

"That is none of my business." She replied, looking up at him. "Do you really believe that I think that little of you, Booth? You know that I don't jump to conclusions, and I know that you would never raise your fist in anger to someone that you care about." She said softly. "I would appreciate it if you would stop changing the subject and just answer my question." She said, taking out an alcohol prep pad, she began to blot at his hand, feeling him flinch a bit. "How did this happen?"

"I punched the truck." He blurted out, pulling his hand from hers. "Could you be more careful, that burns!"

"Stop acting like a child, and give me your hand back." She said, holding her hand to him, he reluctantly gave his hand to her, and she continued to look over his injury. "It appears you just broke the skin, no other damage." She said, carefully pulling a gauze bandage from the first aid kit. "What did the car do to you to illicit such a violent reaction?" She asked, looking up at him, he felt almost like a child being spoken to by his mother, and he could feel his ears burning in embarrassment.

"I was just angry, Bones."

"Angry about what?" She asked, finishing the careful bandaging of his hand, she sat back in her chair and looked up at him. "We're still friends, you can talk to me, Booth."

"I can't talk to you about this, Bones. You were right. I can't keep hurting you, and expect you to pick up the pieces too. I need to figure this out for myself." He said, straightening up, he lifted his hand to his view and glanced to her. "Thank you for your help." He said softly.

"You're welcome, Booth." She replied, watching him take a step back. "Have a good day." She said, watching him smile politely as he took a step back.

"You too, Bones." He said, giving her a friendly wave as he turned and walked out of her office and back through the lab.

He was nearly to the door when he heard Wendell's voice calling to him. He turned on his heel and faced the young intern. "What do you got for me?" He asked, raising his eyebrows, his hand went subconsciously to the carefully bandaged knuckles as he watched Wendell's surprise.

"I was just going to say that we determined that it was murder, based on the wrapping of the body, and the damage to the skull."

"Anything else?"

"We think that the object was some kind of office tool…"

"Like a ruler?"

"More like a stapler." Wendell said, holding up a couple of staples in a small plastic tube.

"Okay…" He shook his head.

"Angela will be working on a reconstruction this afternoon, and we'll get that information to you as soon as possible."

"Sounds good." he replied, taking a step backwards.

"Are you okay, Booth?"

"I'm fine. Why?" He asked, his voice taking on quite a defensive tone, he could see that Wendell's demeanor visually changed.

"Just look a little tired. Are you sure you're alright?"

"Yeah… yeah, I'm fine." Booth replied.

"Some of the guys from the Thursday night hockey team were getting together over at Founding Father's after work… you interested?"

"Nah…" He said, shaking his head. "It's okay… I'm fine, Wendell… you don't have to invite me to a pity drink because you think something is going on with me. I'm fine. Hannah will be back tonight, and…"

"And she can meet you at the bar… come on, man… the guys have been wondering where you're at… Big Mike says you went soft, and you're whipped."

"He said what?" Booth asked, giving Wendell an incredulous look.

"Hey man… it's just what I heard." He said backing up a little. "Founding Father's… seven…" He said, turning around, he swiped his card and quickly climbed the steps of the platform before disappearing out of sight of Booth.

He stood there for a moment, his head shaking, before he caught sight of a familiar form walking across the catwalk above. He watched her steal a glance at him, a polite smile on her lips as she paused for a moment. He gave her a quick wave, before setting his eyes to the floor, and making his way out of the lab quickly, not waiting that extra moment to see if she waved back, if only for a bit of self preservation.


	14. Fouled Hand

Booth paused outside of the Founding Father's for a moment, briefly reconsidering walking through the door. He glanced at his phone and begrudgingly found that nobody had left him a message to take off to somewhere he was needed, and he knew he was stalling. He wasn't sure why he was stalling, the people on the other side of that door were his friends, people he had known for years. He knew their families, their jokes that they told time and time again as if they were new, he knew their temperament and mannerisms. They were his friends.

He stepped into the bar slowly, looking around he found that it was fairly empty, and there were no signs of the team that Wendell had claimed would be meeting there. He looked to his watch and found that he was a little early, but thought that it was odd that he was this early, and not one other person from the team was there. He thought briefly that this was some kind of practical joke, getting him to come here when nobody else was here, maybe even getting together somewhere else to laugh, but he shook his head and walked to the bar, knowing that his friends weren't like that.

He sat down and ordered a glass of scotch, a taste that had been in his mouth since the night before, he knew better than to overdo it tonight. Tonight, there was a very important conversation to be had with Hannah, and he had to be as clear headed as possible. However, when that glass of scotch was poured, there was a split second where the thought that drinking himself into oblivion might be a better idea, and quickly thought better of it. He thought of his task for later that evening, and the words he wanted to say, the things he felt he needed to explain to Hannah, for she was owed at least the truth from him, and not some semblance of the truth that he had taken to giving her since they had met.

He glanced to the door, his hand moving over the pocket of his suit jacket as he felt the weight of his small notebook inside. He pulled the notebook out, nodding thanks to the bartender as he took his glass of scotch in his other hand, running his hand across the smooth glass as he flipped open the notebook to the page that he had been thinking on. He stared at Hannah's name at the top, glancing to the door one more time before turning completely to face the bar, his eyes on her name as he tried to work out exactly what he wanted to say to her in his mind. He hadn't written anything else on the paper, just her name and a line, that damn line, staring him in the face. He had choices to make, and nothing to make it with, no starting place. He was about to fold it back up and slip the notebook in his pocket, when he felt someone sit heavily in the chair beside him, and a solid pat on his back.

"Hey, man." Wendell said, catching a glimpse of the notebook, he grabbed it from Booth without thinking. "News on the case?" He asked, noting that Booth was not very happy at that moment, and as soon as he saw what was on the page, he knew why. "Oh. Sorry." He said, watching as Booth flipped the notebook closed and slipped it back into his pocket.

"Where is everyone?" Booth asked, looking down at his glass of scotch, he wondered where half of it had gone.

"Oh, I forgot to let you know… they cancelled… Ray's wife had the baby, and Nick's daughter had a concert, so we just changed it to another night."

Booth turned and glared at Wendell, the irritation clear on his face. "So you just forgot to tell me."

"Yeah." Wendell said sheepishly.

"Then why are you here?" Booth asked, raising an eyebrow. "I wasn't born yesterday, Wendell. What the hell is going on?"

"Just thought you needed to get out." Wendell said, nodding to the bartender as he recognized Wendell and turned to get his drink. "What are you doing with your notebook?"

"None of your damn business." Booth replied.

"I've noticed that you and Doctor Brennan seem to be a bit on the outs." Wendell said, finding himself the focus of another glare. "Hey, I'm just being observant."

"Doctor Brennan and I are just fine."

"Except." Wendell said as he took the beer from the bartender and looked back to Booth. "Except for the fact that you just called her Doctor Brennan."

"What the hell is this, an intervention?" Booth asked with an irritated growl, he drank down the rest of his scotch and let the glass hit the bar as he set it down.

"What happened to your hand?"

"Wendell…" Booth said, lowering his voice as not to attract any unwanted attention. "Are you trying to get me to shoot you?"

"All I'm saying, is that you've seemed a bit off lately, and the fact that Doctor Brennan sent me to work with you, and opts for sitting in her office doing paperwork, it's just a bit odd to me." Wendell said seriously. "Coupled with the fact that you seem to be writing some kind of list involving your girlfriend, I just wanted to make sure that you were alright."

"I'm fine." Booth replied sharply.

"You're sure?" Wendell asked.

"Just drink your beer." Booth said, sitting silently as the bartender offered him another glass of scotch. He was going to nod and then changed his mind, shaking his head as the bartender walked away. He swirled the slight remainder of scotch in the glass, watching as it moved from one side to the other as the bar filled with patrons, and the noise level rose a little bit. Booth sighed, staring at the bandage on his hand as he remembered the care and thoughtfulness that she had put in bandaging his hand. He thought of the concern in her eyes, and her questions, wondering for a moment if she was angry at him, even though he had felt no signs, he feared that he had lost his ability to read her.

"You know, lists don't work." Wendell said, sipping from his beer as he watched Booth glare again. "What? I'm speaking from experience, they don't work."

"You don't even know what you're talking about."

"You had a list… your girlfriend's name on one side, and a line. I know a list when I see one, and I'm telling you. They don't work."

"Just drink your beer." Booth said, thinking that he might actually need that second glass of scotch when Wendell leaned on the bar a bit more, to get Booth's attention.

"I mean, I don't know what the list is… her good attributes versus her bad ones… maybe you're writing down things you know about her, things that she does that make you happy. Wait… you're comparing her to someone else, aren't you?" Wendell asked.

"What the hell, Wendell, since when did you become the gossip queen of squintland? I know that Clark wouldn't grill me like this, I should have had drinks with him." Booth mumbled.

"All I'm saying, man… is that lists… don't work, and if she ever found that list, you'd be a dead man walking."

Booth watched Wendell as he spoke sincerely. "I really don't want to talk about all of this, Wendell."

"Well, you've got friends, okay? When you do want to talk about it, just know that we're thinking about you. Just be honest with her, be honest to yourself." He said, swallowing the last bit of beer as he turned around just as the door to the bar opened, and Hannah walked inside. "Looks like you'll get your opportunity sooner than you had hoped." He said, as she caught sight of the two of them at the bar.

"Shit, she wasn't supposed to be here for another two hours." Booth mumbled as he slapped on a fake smile, just as she saw them and smiled, approaching quickly.

"Hey, you!" She said with a smile as she hugged Booth, moving to drop a kiss on his lips, she settled for his cheek as he hugged her. "You smell like scotch." She said, seeing the glass, she wrinkled her nose and looked into his eyes. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine." He said with a polite smile, he glanced to Wendell.

"Well, I'm going to get going." Wendell said, holding his hand out to Booth, he shook it tightly and, Hannah faced him and smiled.

"You don't have to go." She said politely.

"Ah, it's okay… I promised Doctor Brennan I'd be there early to help her with some things around the lab. Have a good night." He said, setting the bottle on the bar, he gave a friendly smile and dropped a couple of dollars on the bar.

"See you, Wendell." Booth said, waving to the young man, whose eyes were seemingly wishing him luck as he turned and walked from the bar.

Hannah slid around and sat in Wendell's barstool, facing Booth with a look of deep concern. "You don't seem happy to see me."

"I'm happy to see you." He said sincerely, though it didn't quite reach his eyes. "I am." He reaffirmed. "Here, why don't we go sit down at one of the tables over there?" he nodded, taking her bag from her as he moved past her and toward the table, farther away from the bar, and into a quieter corner. He slid into one side, and waited patiently for her to sit across from him, her eyes showing a deep concern as she saw his bandaged hand.

"What happened to your hand?"

"Ah, wasn't a big deal, just another day for me." He said, dismissing it immediately, she stared at the bandage for a moment and looked up into his eyes.

"Seeley, I've been getting a really strange vibe from you for the past few days, are angry with me?"

"No." He said quickly, reaching across the table, he took her hand in his. "No, no. I'm not angry with you. Why would I be angry?"

"I thought that maybe you had plans for Valentine's day for us or something." She shrugged. "And I know you said you don't usually celebrate it, but I wondered if maybe you were just saying that to make me feel better." She said, searching his face to see if she was correct, she found just a blank expression, or one that she felt was blank, for she could find nothing in his eyes to suggest anything.

"I'm not angry with you, Hannah." He said softly.

"Then what's wrong?" She leaned forward and held his hands, glancing to the bandage, she said nothing, but just looked into his eyes. He didn't lean forward, he just held onto her hands, and his eyes searched hers for a second. "How is the case?"

"The case is going well." He said, stopping himself before he went into detail. "How was the trip?"

"Besides getting stuck at the airport for nearly twenty four hours, it was … it was horrible." She said, letting out a nervous laugh, as she watched the slight smile on his lips as he acknowledged her nervous laughter. "Nobody wants to talk about anything, nobody likes a reporter digging into their business, and the more you dig, the more they hide, and it ends up just being one lie after another, and then it gets to the point where I don't even know what to believe anymore."

"I was given a proposition this week…" He choked on his words as he interrupted her, she stopped as her eyes widened, and Booth stared at her with open mouthed surprised.

"A… proposition? Professional?"

"Personal." He said, eying her carefully, gauging her level of confusion.

"A personal proposition." She stated, watching him stare at her intensely, as if he were trying to read her mind. "Do you mean by a hooker?"

"No!" Booth exclaimed. "No." He said, watching her carefully, he didn't want to bring up Brennan, he didn't want to drag her name through the mud, and he certainly didn't want to hurt her or for her to get hurt by something he said or revealed, or betray her trust in him. "Not a hooker." He said, sighing in near disgust. "A friend."

"A friend." She stated, her eyes narrowing slightly, saying nothing more, she waited for him to explain. She tipped her head as she watched him, her curiosity was piqued, and she wondered how he'd approach this.

Booth looked positively lost, he looked slightly pale, a bit of sweat on his forehead as he swiped at it with his hand. "You know that I love you, right?"

"Yes."

"And, I wouldn't do anything to purposefully hurt you."

"You cheated on me with Temperance, didn't you?" She whispered.

"What, Bones? No! No! I didn't sleep with Bones." He shook his head. "Hannah, you're not listening to me!" He exclaimed, seemingly coming apart at the seams. "I didn't sleep with anyone, just… hang on a second, okay?"

"Then what are you trying to tell me?" She whispered angrily, pulling her hands back. "Because this really, really feels like a moment where you tell me that you did something wrong."

"I'm trying to be honest here with you." He whispered fiercely. "I want you to know the truth."

"The truth." She laughed bitterly. "What truth? You haven't said anything. What is the proposition, Seeley?" She whispered. "Who is it with? Why don't you give me some details?"

"Hannah, just… please, just calm down, okay?" He said, watching as she sat back in the seat and crossed her arms. "Why would you think that this is about Bones?"

"Who else would it be about, Seeley?" She whispered. "You don't even talk to anyone outside of work, you don't share anything about anyone unless it's about Temperance. You don't even talk about other relationships you've been in, or about who you were before we met. Who else would it be? So of course it's about Temperance, Seeley. Everything you do is about Temperance. You wouldn't even be telling me about a proposition from anyone else, so just tell me. What the hell is all of this about?"

"Bones and I have a… surrogate relationship, it makes it difficult for us to create bonds outside our…"

"Cut the crap, Seeley." Hannah whispered angrily. "If you don't tell me, I'll go right to her and ask her. Is that what you want? Do you want me to go ask Temperance about all of this?"

"No." He said, leaning forward. "Leave Bones out of this. It's my decision, alright? I'm the one making the decision, she stepped back. She stepped back so I could make a decision about us. We're not working together right now, she took a step back."

"So, let me get this straight… she made a proposition with you, to decide whether or not you wanted to be with me, or her… and then took a step back so that you could make a decision on that."

"Yes." He whispered, working through his mind the details of what she had spoken, the facts seemed to be there.

"And she gave you time to make this decision."

"Yes."

"And you didn't just tell her… no?"

His brow furrowed. "No." He said, not following her.

"So you're actually thinking about this… proposition?"

"Well, yes." He nodded, still not following her. "Bones and I have a very long history, and she's my best friend. It would be wrong to not give this proper thought and care."

"I think we're done here." She said, pushing out of the seat, she started to stand up.

"No, wait… Hannah, wait… I'm trying to be honest with you here now. I'm trying to…" He said, reaching for her hand, desperate for her to stay and listen.

"I just got home from the trip from hell, and my boyfriend is telling me that he's emotionally cheating on me with another woman… I think that's enough for one day." She said as she grabbed her bag from his side of the table.

"Hannah, we need to talk about this."

"We do." She said, shifting the bag on her shoulder. "But not now, not now, and not here in this bar. I'm going to get a hotel room tonight, and you can spend a little time thinking about why this conversation didn't go exactly how you planned." She said, leaning forward, she kissed his forehead. "Goodnight." She said, turning around, and stomped angrily from the bar, as Booth was left watching her retreating form, before his eyes panned the bar, and settled on the bottle of good scotch that sit half empty behind the bar.


	15. Side Game

Booth's staring contest with the whiskey on the other side of the bar was short lived, for his attention was immediately drawn to the sound of laughter at the ring of the bell on the door. Walking through the door with a smile and a bit of a skip in her step, was Brennan, her eyes moving toward the other person who was coming in. Booth felt his throat close slightly, until he realized that the man following her in, the man she was laughing with, was Jack Hodgins.

It seemed a bit odd to him, to see Brennan walking into a bar with Hodgins and no Angela, though she looked as comfortable as ever as she glanced to their usual spot at the bar and quickly looked away, pointing toward a booth on the other side of the bar. He smiled and took her coat, a simple gesture that Booth had never seen her allow to be one but for an occasion of a rushed trip to the courthouse for a case, or another kind of emergency. He placed her coat on the hook beside their booth and sat across from her, watching as she talked animatedly to her coworker. Her eyes were bright, and her attention fell upon the binder that she had set on the table as she looked up at Hodgins and shrugged almost shyly. Booth watched her carefully as the two of them spoke, and he silently wondered what would make his partner so uncharacteristically excited.

* * *

The binder was opened, and she was pointing at a list of people, her eyes sparkling as Hodgins watched her with a bit of wonder. "Doctor B, I don't think I've ever seen you this excited about anything before."

"This is my best friend's baby shower, Hodgins. I want it to be both enjoyable and traditional. I have the caterer all set up, and have chosen some activities for the attendees in order to entertain. I've read many books on the ritual, and it appears that party games are the most frequently observed ritual at these events. I appreciate the use of your guest house for the party, but you don't think that Angela will be tipped off by the increased traffic on your property, do you?"

"No, no, of course not," Hodgins said as he nodded toward the bartender as he took his beer and Brennan's glass of wine, handing it over to her, she smiled in appreciation. "The traffic for the party will come in the south entrance; it won't even go by the main house, so she won't be the wiser." He said, sipping his beer.

"That's great." Brennan said, writing a couple of notes on the paper. "I apologize if my excitement has made you a bit uncomfortable, I just… I'm not used to preparing a celebration of a new life. Most arrangements I've made in recent years have been funerals." She said with a bit of an embarrassed sigh.

"Doctor Brennan, there is absolutely no problem." Hodgins said with a joyful laugh. "We're all excited about the baby. There is no reason that you should be embarrassed about your excitement. I appreciate your interest in giving Angie a baby shower. She's going to be so surprised." He said as he sipped his beer.

"You don't think she was suspicious that you and I were having drinks together after work? You don't think that she thought that you and I were up to something?" She asked with a bit of a laugh as she looked to Hodgins pointedly.

"Nah, I told her to go on home and get some sleep, that you wanted me to run some more samples, and that I might get a drink with Wendell after work." He shrugged. "If you switch the names, it's just about true." He shrugged. "Besides, it was a little white lie in her best interest. I'm sure she won't even notice." Hodgins said as he leaned over the binder. "What else do you have for me?"

"Well, I'm going to need you to handle…"

* * *

Booth watched the two of them leaning over that binder, their fingers sliding over the paper as they laughed and had a good time. He wanted to feel embittered, he wanted to feel jealous, he wanted to feel hurt that it was Hodgins at that table, and not himself as his partner smiled brightly. Her eyes were sparkling as she sat back in the seat, sipping the wine as Hodgins spoke animatedly, his voice nearly carrying across the bar and her laughter most assuredly making it to his ears.

He wanted to leave, but knew that he had nowhere to go just yet. He wanted to go home, but he knew that he would be going home to nothing, to no one, and his thoughts would be the same there as they would be here. The only difference being, that she was here, in his sights, and that made him feel more comfortable. It calmed his nerves to see her lean across and turn the page on the binder, looking through whatever it was that was on the page, and turn it toward her friend. Hodgins looked down at the paper and smiled, talking once again to Brennan with an excited smile. Booth could only guess what they were talking about, but he knew that the smile on Brennan's face was real, and for that he was grateful.

The waitress stepped to his table, and reluctantly, he ordered a beer, insisting to himself that he'd be better off with a drink lighter than whiskey while he waited for an opportunity and a moment of comfort, perhaps a bit of bravery, to leave the bar alone. He watched Hodgins take a sip of his beer, as Brennan leaned slightly over the table, the look on her face was suddenly serious, and from Hodgins' expression, her words surprised him.

* * *

Hodgins fought to swallow the sip of beer that was now lodged in his throat, his companion's question having completely caught him off guard, he closed his eyes tightly.

"Hodgins, are you alright?" Brennan asked, touching his hand, he opened his eyes wide, and she noticed that his eyes were watering. "Hodgins? Swallow." She said, smacking his hand, she watched him swallow hard, his eyes closing tightly. He started to cough. "Hodgins."

"I'm fine." He said, smacking the table as he coughed. "I'm fine… geez, Doctor B, you know how to surprise a guy."

"I don't know what that means."

"I think I have beer in my sinus cavity." He said, sniffling as he coughed again, clearing his throat, his eyes met hers and she watched him curiously.

"Did something I say cause you to aspirate?" She asked innocently.

"No…" he coughed. "No, no… you just caught me off guard." He said, laughing.

"I just said that I love you." She shrugged. "Is that inappropriate?" She asked curiously, her eyebrow rising in a way that almost made Hodgins feel that he was under a microscope. Her lips were pursed and serious, and she brought her glass to her mouth and watched him for a moment.

"Um… well, no… well… I suppose that it depends on what your definition of love is." He shrugged nervously, unsure of exactly where this conversation was going, or if he wanted to be along for the ride. "Doctor Brennan, what is all of this…?"

"What if I said, just as plainly, that I was … in love… with you." She said, watching his eyes widen farther if possible, and his jaw drop in a bit of a stunned stare. "You can relax, Doctor Hodgins, I can assure you that it is not the case." She said with a bit of a smile. "I just wished to observe your reaction, that is all." She replied, watching as he stammered a bit.

"Doctor B, you're really, confusing me." He said with a very nervous laugh.

"I am just trying to figure something out, doing a bit of research, if you will." She said, laughing a bit as she shook her finger and took a sip of her wine. She swallowed and laughed a bit. "Though your reaction was quite comical, I must admit."

"Well, that's kind of a typical reaction when their boss says that they are in love with you over drinks." He laughed.

"So you admit that the term 'in love' would be more binding than the former?" Brennan said, tipping her head as she watched Hodgins' mouth open and close a bit, resembling a fish gasping for breath outside of its fish bowl.

He stammered a moment before he was able to find his voice, but finally was able to reply. "Yes." He nodded his head. "Yes, I'd say that they're both completely different things." He said, noting that her eyes were staring intensely on his, the same look she'd give him when they were in the lab, and she was hunting for more information. When her head tilted in that typical curious way, his suspicions were confirmed. "I mean… to love someone, is to care about them, care about how they are, to want to take care of them through anything. Good friends love one another, like you said in the airport before you left for Maluku, Doctor Brennan. The proffering of overly solicitous advice… the need to care for those you care about, even if you can't reach out and touch them at that moment, that is love."

"And being 'in love' with someone? Isn't that the same?"

"No." He shook his head. "Not the way that I see it." He said, moving closer to Brennan, he leaned forward a bit. "If I just loved Angela after the whole wedding debacle the first time… I would have just been happy for her when she was in a relationship with Roxy, or Wendell. I would have just let her have her happiness, but the truth is… when I saw her with other people, it was breaking my heart. I mean, I understand, your mind is empirical and logical, you don't believe in broken hearts, but…"

"No." She said abruptly, sending his eyes to look directly into hers. "I… I know what you mean." She nodded. "I know what it is like to have a broken heart."

He tipped his head as his eyes narrowed. "You do." He said, an inquisitive smile on his lips. "Doctor Brennan…" He said softly. "Whatever this is all about, this conversation, the changes… at the lab recently. Whatever this is all about…"

"Yes?"

"It'll work out." He said softly. "I should get home… I promised Angie that I'd pick her up a Philly cheese steak sub on the way home… extra onions." He made a disgusted face, and then smiled.

"But how do you know that it'll work out?" She asked, watching him start to stand up and grab his coat.

He reached across the table and slid the binder across the surface, looking at the pages of information that Brennan had compiled for his wife's party, for his child's party. "I just have a really good feeling about things, Doctor B… sometimes you just have to ride out the storm." He said, touching her hand as he closed the binder. "Have a good night."

"You too, Doctor Hodgins." She said, a slight smile on her lips. "I will see you tomorrow."

"See you tomorrow." He said, giving her a half salute and a smile, as he pulled his gloves from his pockets and headed for the door.

* * *

Booth watched as Hodgins left the table, his eyes focused on the door, as he turned suddenly and gave Brennan a little wave before pushing back into it with his back, swinging the door open slowly as he stepped out into the street. Brennan waved back and smiled, her eyes moving immediately to the wine glass in front of her as she sat thoughtfully. Her fingertips slid over the contour of the glass, her thumb and forefinger gliding up and down the glass as her eyes remained on the ruby liquid within.

She sighed a heavy sigh, not a sad sigh, but one of sleepiness and looked up to bring the glass to her lips, drinking every drop of wine in the glass. She dropped a couple of dollars on the table and slid from the booth, standing to grab her coat. She carefully slipped it on, tying the tie tightly as she pulled her gloves from her pockets and put them on her long, slender fingers.

Secure in her coat, she gathered her binder and headed for the door, her eyes set on the exit as she slipped through the doors. Booth thought for a moment that he'd like to follow her, perhaps learn what that binder held, or even have a chance encounter to ask her how the rest of her day had gone. He played with the thought for a moment, considering that he'd like to just hear her voice, even if she told him to get lost. He just wanted to see how she was holding up, to make sure that she was alright. Without second guessing himself, he slid from his seat and tossed a couple of dollars on the table for the beer, and then made a quick line for the door.

He opened the door, just as she was climbing into a cab, and took a step forward. "Bones." He said, catching her attention, she looked up and gave him a knowing glance.

"Have a good night, Booth." She said simply, waving to him with a quick smile, she climbed into the cab.

Her response had surprised him, and he wondered if she knew he had been there all along, wondered if she had expected to see him burst from the door of the bar, wondered if he would make his presence be known. All of these thoughts swirled in his mind, as he watched the cab drive away, as she gave him a friendly wave out of the window, leaving him alone once again on the sidewalk.


	16. I'm Out

**2/17- Morning**

Brennan stepped into the diner alone, her eyes focused on the folder in front of her as she stepped up to the counter without looking up. She saw out of the corner of her eye the apron of the waitress and closed the folder, smiling happily as she looked into the woman's eyes.

"Good morning, Doctor Brennan." The waitress said as she smiled politely.

"Good morning. I'll have a coffee, and a fruit bowl." She said, nodding to one of the tables beside the window. "That'll be all this morning."

"We'll bring it right out to you." The waitress replied, watching Brennan smile and turn for the table. It wasn't her usual table, but one of the smaller ones, made for two people and nestled against the wall with a clear view out the large windows. Her back was to the door, something she seldom did as a visitor in all of the years at the diner. The waitress had always known her to keep her eyes to the door, always as if she were waiting for someone to arrive, usually Agent Booth.

Brennan pulled her coat off and settled in her chair, opening the folder again, she thumbed through the notes, reading thoroughly as she soaked in the information. Her finger danced over the lines of writing as she waited for her coffee and breakfast, minding her own business. She looked up as the waitress brought her mug of coffee, and her small bowl of fruit, and she thanked her with a nod. Her eyes then went back to the paper as she recited the words in her mind. The paperwork was from an old case, attached to some of the data from bone storage, and her concentration was on it completely. She was in a familiar place, with familiar sounds, and the warmth of the diner was inviting.

As the door opened to another customer, there was a gentle ringing of the bell on the door, and a sharp breeze of cold air that entered following the customer, that February wind biting. She thought of pulling her coat back on, but instead kept reading, her focus was solely on the papers in front of her. She barely noticed the person who sat across from her, and when she looked up, her mouth opened just slightly as she gathered herself quickly. "Hannah." She said as she lifted her mug to her lips, closing the folder. "Good morning."

"Good morning, Temperance." Hannah said, not bitterly or cold, but not exactly warm or inviting either. "Working on a case?"

"Not currently, no." She said absently, her eyes focusing on the window for a moment as if she were waiting for someone. "I am just catching up on some things that I haven't really had the time to work on lately. It's amazing how quickly the things you put off can pile up when you're focused on other things." She said, opening the folder once again. There was a long pause between the two women, and Brennan could feel the anxiety from the woman sitting across from her, as if she were waiting for something, anything to set her off. Brennan looked up into Hannah's eyes solemnly. "I apologize if you feel that I have overstepped my bounds."

"We're both adults."

"That is correct."

"Smart, accomplished women."

"Again, you are correct."

"I changed for him." Hannah replied.

"I changed because of him." Brennan responded, her thumb sliding over the paper in her hands.

"I will never know everything, will I?" Hannah asked, her eyes focusing on Brennan's stoically, she could feel a sense of sadness in her chest, weighing her down. "I know that there is something between you two. I think I've always felt it, since that moment I met you. Why now? Why did you wait so long to say something to him about it? I have been here for months, Temperance. I don't understand."

"I know things about Booth that I have promised that I would never share with anyone, ever. I keep these things secreted away in a place that isn't to be shared with anyone. We share things that are even too personal for a lover's ear, and we lean on one another for protection and guidance. These are all things that I have been protecting for years. I'm tired of holding them alone. They are his responsibility as well, and I needed to push him, Hannah. If he can't share them with you, then your relationship is destined to end. Romantic relationships should be built on honesty and truth, just like a good work partnership." She said, glancing to the window. She sipped her coffee as she instantly recognized the figure waiting to cross the street. "Listen, I should go."

"Temperance, I was hoping that maybe you could give me some insight…"

"I can't have that conversation with you, Hannah. I am through giving advice on how to make Booth happy. He's the only person that knows how to make that happen. He's either going to let you in, or he's not. It's that simple." She said as she gathered her things, putting money on the table beside her untouched bowl of fruit. "Feel free to have my breakfast. I didn't feel much like eating this morning." She said as she watched Hannah's jaw open and close slightly as if she wanted to say something. "I should be going now." She said, glancing to see Booth walking across the street toward the diner. "Have a good day." She said, as she turned, and quickly made her way to the door.

Brennan swung the door open, turning away from the diner in the opposite direction that Booth was approaching, hearing his hand catch the door as she took a step toward the street. "Where are you running off to, Bones?" He asked, watching her turn her head to face him, his eyes caught hers for a moment. "Are you alright?"

"I'm alright." She said with the briefest of smiles. "How is your hand?"

"It's better." He said, glancing down at the scrapes on his hand that she had bandaged for him the day before. "Thank you for asking."

"I need to get to the lab. Have a good day." She said politely, as he nodded his head, she could see that there was something more that he wanted to say, but with a moment's pause, he let it pass, and quickly, she had turned as she made her way across the street, on her way to the lab at double speed.

He watched her walk quickly, and turned toward the door, sighing as he stepped into the diner. His eyes panned the clientele, and immediately focused on the woman sitting at the table by the door. "Hey." He said, his brow furrowed for a moment as a surprised smile appeared on his lips.

"Hey." She said, glancing to the counter as the waitress addressed him.

"I'll bring your coffee right over, Agent Booth." The waitress replied.

"Thanks." He said, stepping to the other chair, he sat down and looked down at the half mug of coffee at the table, and the untouched bowl of fruit. "Eating healthy today?" He asked, confused as he noted the money on the table.

"That was Temperance's. She saw you coming and took off." Hannah said, leaning on the table a little as she picked up a fork, poking at a piece of fruit in the bowl. "Now that I am showered, and have had some time to cool off, perhaps you would like to enlighten me as to what happened between you and Temperance while I was on assignment."

"Nothing happened between Bones and me." He said, and instead of making eye contact, he glanced to the waitress as she brought his cup of coffee. "Thank you." He said, bringing his eyes to Hannah. "Nothing happened."

"That's because whatever it is, had already happened." Hannah replied.

"I didn't cheat on you, Hannah."

"I know that." She said, sliding the grape into her mouth, she focused on the bowl of fruit, and was suddenly grateful that she had something to focus on. "That's not the kind of man you are." She said softly. "The problem is, Seeley." She said, looking up into his eyes. "I don't think that you're ever going to show me all that you really are."

"I don't…"

"Tell me something about you, Seeley."

"Hannah."

"Tell me something about you that I don't know, tell me something that nobody knows about you. Something deep, meaningful… something raw." She said, leaning closer to him, she could instantly see the fear in his eyes.

"Hannah, this isn't really the…"

"The what? The time? The place?" She asked as she popped another piece of fruit into her mouth. She narrowed her eyes. "I came here for you, Seeley. I gave up everything that I had, I gave up everything that I am to be here with you."

And before he could stop himself, before he could even breathe, the words slipped from his lips. "I never asked you to, Hannah."

With that, there was silence, a silence so loud that his ears burned with an excruciating heat. He wasn't embarrassed, he wasn't afraid, and he wasn't regretful that he had said it. He was surprised and angry with himself that he hadn't said those words to himself sooner. He watched the shock on her face, and the hitch in her breath, and could see her hand squeezing to a fist. He almost expected her to slap him, to feel the sting across his face that he knew he deserved for leading her on when his heart was so obviously with another woman. He knew she wouldn't do that though, she had far too much integrity to lower herself to that level. Her jaw tightened, and they still said nothing, as his finger slid against the smooth glass of the mug, feeling the heat of the liquid within it.

She stood slowly, her eyes on his as she watched him. "Hannah, you had no intention of staying." He said as she tipped her head. "You're bored with your life here, and you gave up too much for someone that you barely knew."

"This is not my mistake, Seeley."

"I think we take equal blame for this." He said softly.

"What do I have to be guilty of?" She whispered. "For loving a man who is in love with someone else?"

"Maybe." He said, watching the pain in her eyes. "For seeing something in me that you only thought you saw, and for letting yourself get wrapped up in it. I am sorry. I do care about you, Hannah. I do love you, and I don't regret that."

"I need to go." She said as she struggled to regain her composure. "I will have my things out of your apartment by this afternoon." She said, clearing her throat.

"Hannah."

"I'm sorry." She whispered, as she gave him a polite, struggling smile. She leaned over the table just slightly as she let her hot breath cross his cheek as she spoke, her teeth gritted as she tried to remain controlled. "You are a very messed up man, Seeley Booth. You blame me for having no intentions of staying, when you never had any intentions of leaving." She swallowed hard as she stood up straight, narrowing her eyes. "Goodbye." She said clearly, as she turned, and made her way as quickly as she could through the door of the diner, as she disappeared into the cold February morning.


	17. The One That's Got A Way

Brennan sat at her desk filling out a form. She completed her notes and closed the folder, standing up to make her way toward bone storage. She turned around and pulled several folders from the top of her filing cabinet, listening to the sound of her stomach growling, she sighed as she turned around. The sight of Booth standing on the other side of her desk made her gasp, nearly dropping the pile of folders to the ground, she struggled to grasp them. "Booth!" She exclaimed as he leaned across the desk and helped her hold onto the folders so they wouldn't fall to the ground, his hand touching hers as she stopped and stared at him for a second. "What are you doing here?" She asked, pulling her hand from his touch, she placed the folders on the desk. "Besides frightening me half to death... if that were possible."

He let out a bit of a laugh as he watched her blush, her eyes moving to the folders instead of to his as she shuffled through the papers for a moment, rearranging some sheets that had come loose from their folders. "I came to see you." He said, watching as she furrowed her brow and continued to busy herself with the folders.

"I'm very busy." She said with a sigh.

"I brought you breakfast." He said, setting a fruit cup on top of the pile of folders, she looked up at him and glared.

"I already had breakfast." She said, watching him shake his head, she pushed the fruit cup off the folder and put it in front of him. "Thank you."

"See, I know for a fact that is untrue." He said, putting the fruit cup back on top of her pile of folders.

"I am not hungry." She said, placing the fruit back on the desk. "What did you want, Booth?" She asked as she gathered the folders in her arms.

"I need you on this case."

"Absolutely not." She said, walking toward the door, he walked quickly to catch up to her. He reached in front of her and blocked her from the doorway.

"What do you mean, absolutely not?" He asked innocently, watching her glare at him as he stood in her way.

"I mean absolutely, as in absolute… as in, no question about it… No." She said, shifting the folders. "I have a lot of work to do. You're working with Wendell on this case. He is a qualified forensic anthropologist, and he is more than capable of handling both the case, and you." She said, ducking under his arm as she walked toward bone storage.

"Bones, come on!" He said, turning around, he watched her walking away. He stepped toward her desk and grabbed the fruit cup into his hand as he then quickly rushed after her through the lab. "Bones, please? We need to talk." He said just as he caught up to her, she stopped and turned in one motion, and he nearly ran directly into her.

"Talk about what?" She asked, raising an eyebrow and tipping her head.

"Not here." He replied, moving his eyes from side to side, indicating that there may be people listening.

"We have nothing to discuss." She said, straightening out, she watched him stand straighter as well. "One month, that was the agreement. Until that month is through, my interns will be your forensic anthropologists. If you're unhappy with Wendell, perhaps I can have another intern help. I'm sure that Ms. Wick would be more than delighted to assist you."

Booth narrowed his eyes just a bit, noting that she was quite amused with herself at this moment, he didn't want to give her an inch. There was a long pause, and she turned toward the door to bone storage, but not entering before she heard Booth following after her again. "Circumstances have changed since that agreement, Bones." He blurted out as she set her hand on the door handle. She didn't turn it just yet, holding the folders in her hand, she just paused.

She slowly turned the doorknob and pushed her foot into the doorway as she turned to face him. "Perhaps your circumstances have changed, but there is still a lot of thinking to be done." She said, watching his eyes. "I gave you a month. You should use it wisely… pursue things… delicately. Think before you act and react. Reevaluate your feelings, process the benefits and disadvantages of loss and gain."

"I have absolutely no idea what you're talking about, Bones." He shook his head.

"Then it's a good thing that you have a month to think about it, isn't it?" She said with a smile, stepping backwards into bone storage. "Have a good day, Booth."

"Bones!" He said as she closed the door in his face, he let out an irritated sigh, his eyebrows lifted when the door opened again. She eyed him with a sweet smile as she reached across and plucked the fruit cup from his hand.

"And thank you for breakfast." She said, closing the door once again, leaving his nose just an inch from the metal door, as he closed his eyes for a moment to gather himself.

On the other side of the door, Brennan rested her back against it, feeling her body humming with adrenaline. Her eyes closed as she clenched the folders in her arms, the fruit cup in her hand and she could feel her body trembling slightly. She took several deep, soothing breaths to calm her nerves, surprised that she was actually able to achieve her goal, to get from her office to bone storage without giving in to his request to work on the case together.

She had given him a month to make things clear to himself, a month to make a decision and assess his circumstances, and she had known from her conversation with Hannah that morning that it was very possible that it could happen soon. She hadn't counted on it occurring that soon, however, and for what it was worth, she was a nervous wreck. She stepped forward and placed the fruit cup on a small metal table in the room, lifting her hand to her cheek, she could feel the heat radiating against her skin and imagined that her cheeks were probably very flushed based on her level of anxiety.

She could feel her ears burning slightly, and placed the folders on the table next to the fruit, as she lifted both of her hands to her cheeks and tried to rub the blush from them as she breathed slowly and deeply, trying to shake it off. Her eyes traveled to the fruit cup just as her stomach growled slightly, and she couldn't deny the soft smile that played at the corners of her lips.

She reached down and slipped her thumb beneath the lip of the plastic cover of the fruit cup, popping it off onto the table as she pulled a piece of melon from within the container. With a self satisfied smile, she slipped it onto her tongue, as she turned around and smiled at the closed door, feeling once again the warm blush of her cheeks as she turned around and flipped open the first folder in the pile.


	18. Lay Down Your Bets

2/23

It had been exactly one week since what Booth described to himself as the 'fruit cup incident.' It had been exactly one week since the day that his partner closed the door to the bone storage room on his face. It had been exactly one week since he had seen her for longer than two minutes in a passing frenzy in the lab, as the case heated up, and finally ended this afternoon. It had been exactly a week since the seat beside him in his SUV was kept warm by his partner, and not by someone else, and it was not making his mood any better to hear the constant chattering of the squint in his passenger seat.

"Wendell, why don't you pipe down a little, okay?" Booth said, waving his hand in a calming motion as he kept his eyes on the road.

"Come on, Booth. That was awesome the way you faked that guy out in the interrogation room!" Wendell said enthusiastically. "I thought you were going to punch him for a minute there, and I think he did too, just wow! It was really awesome. You didn't think it was awesome?" He asked, watching as Booth shook his head, his focus still on the road.

"It was a day on the job, kid." Booth said, glancing to Wendell, giving a bit of a humble smile. "Just another day on the job."

"Well, I thought it was awesome. Doctor Brennan is so lucky to get to see you in action like that. She'd have loved it." He said, noting a twinge of a wince on Booth's face at his words. "You kind of missed her, huh?"

"Quiet now, Wendell."

"I mean, I bet me and Doctor Brennan are completely different partners, you know. She's probably really, really literal, and I'm just…"

"Going to get yourself shot if you keep talking." Booth said, glancing to Wendell, he gave him a sarcastic smile with his eyebrows raised.

"Sorry." Wendell said with a sheepish grin. He paused for a moment and then glanced to Booth. "So… how are you going to um… celebrate the end of this case? You and Doctor Brennan usually go out for drinks and stuff, right?"

Booth didn't answer him right away, pulling the car up to the curb of the Jeffersonian, he eyed Wendell warily. "See you later, Wendell."

"So you don't want to go get drinks or something after work?"

"No." Booth shook his head.

"You're sure? I mean… we can talk about your break up or whatever, it's tough you know, being alone when you've been with someone for so long. If you need someone to talk to, man… I can…"

"You can get out of the car now, Wendell. Thanks for the offer, but I have some other things I have to work on."

"I'll work on the paperwork for the case, and get that to you, get things catalogued and stuff. Sorry if I offended you or something, I was just…"

"Out." Booth said, leaning over, he grabbed the latch on the door and pushed it open. "Later."

"Huh…" Wendell said with a sheepish smile. "Yeah, see you later, Booth."

"Yep." Booth said, waiting for the younger man to climb from the car.

"I'll tell Doctor Brennan you said hi." He said, as he climbed from the car. He saw that Booth had something he wanted to say about that, but decided it was just safer to get out of the car as quickly as possible, as he ran toward the door to the Jeffersonian, and made his way back to the lab.

Booth sat in that spot for a minute or two, glancing to his phone to see if there were any messages, he was about to toss it onto the passenger seat when the phone began to ring. He lifted the phone to his ear and listened to Hacker explain to him about another body that had been found. He wrote down the information in the small notebook from his pocket. "Just let me go and get Bones, and we'll be right there." He said out of pure reflex. He would have caught himself if he had cared to, but he didn't. He hung up the phone and quickly pocketed it, pulling the car through toward the parking garage, as he shamelessly went in search of his partner.

* * *

The moment he stepped into the lab, he could hear Wendell's enthusiastic voice as he explained something to someone in the lab. Booth walked toward the platform quietly, noting that Wendell was standing in Brennan's office doorway, talking excitedly about something.

"Then Booth was like…" Wendell said, noting Brennan's glance over his shoulder, he turned his head and smiled again. "Hey, Booth."

"Go ahead… what was I like?" Booth asked, watching the amusement in Brennan's eyes.

"I should probably go catalog those remains." Wendell mumbled as he stepped backwards and let Booth into the office. Booth's eyes followed Wendell out into the lab, and he turned to face Brennan, only to find that she had walked around her desk and was just a foot or two from him.

"Hey, Bones." He said, clapping his hands with a grin. "It's been a while."

She crossed her arms over her chest and gave him a knowing smile. "Wendell was just telling me about your success on the case." She said, glancing around him. "He seemed very impressed with your capabilities."

"He should be." Booth nodded. "I'm very capable." He said, catching her eye as he watched her step around him and pick up a folder from the table behind him. "I need you." He said, watching her head crane up and her eyes to meet him. "I have another case."

She stood up straight and held the files to her chest. "I'm sorry, Booth, but we had an…"

"Rip up the agreement, forget the agreement. I need my partner back. I'm tired of driving the kindergarten bus. I want you… just you."

"I'm not giving in, Booth, simply because you cannot cope with working with other people. I am finally starting to feel comfortable here, in my element. I am finding that I'm not worrying as much about myself, about you. I feel relaxed and… I feel happy."

"So you're saying you're glad you're not my partner anymore."

"We're still partners, Booth." She said, concerned about his anger. "We're still partners."

"You're supposed to be out there watching my back." He said with a snap. "That's what partners do."

"I am watching your back." She said, tipping her head. "Do you think that it was Wendell that found the radiating fracture at the base of the skull of your victim? Did you think it was Wendell that determined what the weapon was, so that you would know to watch out for that particular item? I may not be following you around, but don't you think for a moment that I'm not looking out for you." She snapped back.

"You helped?"

"I work here, Booth." She said, stepping closer to him. "I am a supervisor and a teacher. I'm just…"

"Trying to teach me a lesson." He finished for her as she tipped her head. "I miss you." He admitted softly.

"I know." She nodded. "I can see that in your reactions… the way you hold yourself, the way that you're scratching the skin on your hand." She said, reaching out to touch his hand, he felt her warmth and looked up at her. "I miss you too." She shrugged. "But this is good for us. It's good for our relationship, it's good for those around us… to see what we do, and how we do it. You're a very good teacher, Booth."

"Thank you." He whispered.

"You have another case?" She asked, pulling her hand from his, she watched his eyes meet hers.

"Yeah, body found in the river… wrapped in plastic and weighed down…"

"Sounds like murder." She said, giving him a supportive smile.

"Yeah."

"Let me go find one of the interns, and make sure that Cam knows so we can get a crew out there immediately." She said, stepping toward the door.

"Thanks, Bones." He said softly, watching her soft smile.

"It's no problem." She replied. "Booth." She said, catching his eyes as he tipped his head. "I'm not available to work on the case, but I am available for dinner this evening." She watched as his mouth hung open just slightly. "A girl's gotta eat." She said, turning from her office, she rushed quickly toward Cam's office, without another word.


	19. Dealer's Choice

Booth stood over the body at the crime scene taking notes in the small notebook as he watched Cam handle evidence carefully. The smell from the body was putrid, the flesh was pale and hanging off grotesquely as he noted whatever the crew mentioned about the body. He watched as Clark handled the portions of the body that hadn't been wrapped in plastic, and flesh had been eaten by fish or animals, or whatever it was that found fine dining in cadavers.

He watched the scientist collecting portions of bone that had fallen from the body and glanced to Cam as she examined the head of the victim. He watched her for a moment and she looked up at Booth. "You're looking a little more chipper than you have been lately." She said, standing up next to him, she flicked off her gloves.

"Yeah." He said as he glanced to one of the techs. "The Jeffersonian is going to need all of this… and anything Clark here says they need, let them have it." He said, glancing to Cam again. "I think Bones asked me out on a date today." Booth said, watching the bit of surprise flash over Cam's face. "I'm serious."

"And you think this is appropriate conversation over a floater?" Cam asked.

"Hey , hey… Bones doesn't like it when you call them that." Booth said, watching Cam's eyes lift. "What? She doesn't." Booth cleared his throat, straightening his tie as he looked down at the pad in his hands. "Besides, this guy doesn't care what we talk about." He nodded toward the body.

"So Doctor Brennan asked you out on a date?" Cam said. "That's kind of quick."

"Quick?" Booth snorted. "We've only been in this exact spot in our relationship for over six years, Cam. It's about damn time one of us made a move."

"I agree. You two have been floating around in this ridiculous limbo of 'will they, won't they, how many times have they already', for years now." Clark said from his spot below them, his attention quickly went back to the body with Booth's glare.

"I meant quick because you just broke up with Hannah." Cam replied, walking toward the truck, away from the body. "You never really even told us why you broke up with Hannah."

"You're right, I didn't." Booth said as he glanced into the SUV, his eyes falling on the empty passenger seat. "It's not a big deal."

"It kind of is a big deal, Booth. Regardless of what you say, it affects all of us. You and Doctor Brennan not working together has really shaken things up around the lab. Not necessarily in a bad way, but you two really need to get things ironed out, or this situation could turn very permanent, very quickly."

"Don't think that I already know that, Cam." Booth said, his mind traveling back to the conversation at the diner, and Brennan's decision. "It almost did." He said, pulling out his phone as a text came in, his eyebrows knitted.

"What is it?"

"Bones." He said. "All the text says is 'Spence's, eight. Blue tie. No gun.'"

"Sounds like the woman knows what she wants." Cam said with a slight smile as she pushed off the SUV and started walking toward the body again.

"No gun, what does that mean?" He said, looking to Cam.

"Maybe she wants to know for sure whether or not you're just happy to see her." Cam tried not to smile but failed miserably. "Better let her have it." Cam said, glancing back at his glare, she smiled.

"This is a conspiracy." Booth replied, and Cam smiled back at him.

"Now you're starting to sound like Hodgins." She laughed, as Booth grumbled, glancing down at the text one more time, he could feel his facial expression softening with a smile.

"I'll see you guys later, send me anything you have on the body as it comes in."

"We'll be in contact." Cam said, glancing up as Booth climbed into the SUV, and left for the Hoover building.

* * *

The evening slipped in quickly, and Booth found himself rushing to be ready for the evening. He rushed around his apartment madly getting ready, pulling out several blue ties, he found one with a deep blue design that was subtle and elegant, yet just flashy enough to be his. He wound it around his neck and carefully pulled the knot up to meet his neck as he stared into his eyes in the mirror.

Looking at his hands, he found that they were trembling slightly, and he was surprised to find a bit of perspiration at his brow, sure signs of his nervousness. He wiped the sweat from his brow and gave himself a confused expression, realizing for the first time that he was actually nervous about this. He laughed at the ridiculousness of it, being nervous of going out on a date with Bones. Then the thought occurred to him, was this a date or just dinner with a friend? He stared at his tie, the deep blue color radiating a warm feeling through him, and he started to calm, until he thought of the color of his partner's eyes.

He could see those eyes staring at him now, and his heart began to beat faster as he turned quickly from the mirror, in search of something else to keep his focus on. He shook his head and thought of that text message, her request for a blue tie, the vision of her blue eyes. She was a master manipulator, and he was finding that with each passing moment, he was almost enjoying it, though he'd never admit that to her. He finished getting ready, sliding his jacket onto his shoulders, and before he knew it, he was on his way out the door.

He pulled up to the restaurant and dropped the truck with the valet, watching as he stepped up to the door, for his date. He checked his watch and noted that he was right on time, and wondered for a moment if he was supposed to pick her up. He had an instant of panic and laughed out loud at himself when he realized his nerves were really starting to get the best of him. He stepped into the restaurant and to the host, explaining that he was meeting someone for dinner, he was brought to the bar and told that he would be informed when she arrived.

He sat at the bar, glancing at the bottles behind the bartender, noting that there weren't many people around, as he declined a drink for the moment. He wanted to be clear headed this evening, clear headed and calm, though was finding that difficult as his fingers tapped nervously on the bar. He looked around the room, his eyes on the door for a moment as he checked his watch, noting that it was now ten minutes after eight, and Brennan was obviously late. She was never late. That's what he told himself as he looked up at the door just as the bartender set a glass of scotch in front of him. He turned to the bartender and his brow furrowed. "I didn't order a drink." He said softly.

"The lady ordered it for you." He said, nodding to the side, Booth looked and could see Brennan sitting on a barstool across from him, holding a glass of wine in her hand as she smiled slyly across at him.

Booth smiled, a smile he couldn't have helped even if at that moment the entire building fell in around him. "Thank you." He said to the bartender, as he stood up, moving deftly around the bar, she tapped the barstool next to her with her foot, sliding it out to him as he sat down beside her. "You're a sneaky one." He whispered.

"I prefer mysterious." She said with a raised eyebrow. "Mystifying…"

"Magnificent." He whispered.

"So now I'm a magician?" She asked, sipping from her wine, he let out a nervous laugh, and she set her glass on the bar. "Very nice tie." She whispered, her blue eyes sparkling at him, as he gave her a lopsided grin. "I trust that you followed all of your directions."

"I did." He said, smiling at her, still confused by it all as she took his hand.

"Good. I'll trust your word." She said, in a throaty whisper as she slipped off the barstool and lifted her wine glass in her other hand. "Because I don't frisk on the first date." She said, tugging his arm tenderly, he grabbed his glass of scotch, and followed her lead, as she walked them to their table.


	20. Angle Shooting

She floated across the floor, her hand planted firmly on his as she tugged him delicately across the room toward their waiting table. "I hope that you weren't waiting long." She said, turning as they reached the table, she smiled when he moved toward her chair, pulling it from the table slowly, she smiled. "Thank you."

"I wasn't waiting long." He replied, pushing the chair in as she sat down, he moved over to the chair across from her and sat down, watching her place the glass of wine in her hand on the table cloth. Her eyes met his, and she smiled.

"You're nervous." She said, watching his eyes move to the side and back to her.

"I'm not nervous." He said quickly. "How can you tell I'm nervous?" He said, allowing her to have the truth, and he was rewarded with a smile.

"I've learned a lot about people in my time with you, Booth. I've learned a lot about you." She said with a smile as the waiter approached the table, handing them each a menu. They thanked him, and he left them to decide.

"You've learned a lot about me, have you?" Booth asked.

"Yes." She said, watching his eyes she gave him a shy smile. "I'm sorry." She said suddenly, glancing down at her menu, her bravado was showing a crack, and she could feel it becoming more obvious the longer they sat together.

"What are you sorry about?" He asked, waiting for her eyes to lift to his, she eventually relented and looked up at him. "You look nervous now. Are you okay?" He asked, lifting his hand across the table, he captured her hand in his, and held it tenderly.

"I'm okay." She replied.

"You're sure?" He asked, tipping his head, watching her with a sincere gaze, she nodded at him.

"Yeah."

"Now what were you apologizing about?"

"I'm sorry about… the way that things got to this point." She whispered, trying to tug her hand from his grasp, he held it securely and watched her eyes for several moments. The conversation between them was silent, but their eyes spoke when their breath didn't have the direction. She suddenly felt brave, her hand in his, with his eyes on hers.

"What are you going to have?" Booth asked suddenly, lifting his menu with the other hand, he looked at the items and glanced to his partner. "I've never been here before."

"I have." She replied. "Once with Angela." She watched him move his eyes over the menu, and wondered for a moment if he had accepted her apology, or if it was still sitting between them unanswered. She watched his eyes look over the menu, and after a moment, he looked up, catching her watching him, he smiled, closing the menu.

"Is it strange that I don't know what to talk to you about?" He asked her, his voice soft and full of emotion.

"It's not strange." She replied. "How is Parker?" She asked, knowing one subject she could bring up, that would make him smile.

"Parker is fantastic." He replied. "He's doing better in school, he's busy with hockey, and basketball… he has a busier schedule than I do." Booth admitted, listening to Brennan's tender laugh as he watched her with loving eyes. "How are you?"

"I have been very well." She nodded. "I am planning Angela's baby shower, catching up on some things at the lab that I hadn't been able to work on lately, catching up on a lot of reading." She replied. "It has been very low key, not very adventurous."

"But it makes you happy." Booth replied.

"It does."

"That's the only thing that matters." He said softly, sipping his scotch as the waiter approached, Booth kept her hand in his, as they looked up, ordering their meals separately as the waiter took the menus and went to put their orders in. Booth lifted his other hand across the table, settling her hand in both of his as they remained in a comfortable silence for several minutes.

"I trust that you had an enjoyable day at work today." She said, noting that his eyes had been focused on their hands, his fingers slowly kneading the soft flesh of her fingertips. His dark eyes lifted to meet hers, and he looked confused at first. "You had a new case today, it appears that you're not losing any sleep over it."

He was a bit confused by her question, asking about work. She always knew what his day was like, because she was typically part of it, so her question had completely derailed his thought process. He felt like a slack jawed imbecile for a moment, until he realized her question. "The case is fine. It hasn't gone anywhere yet, your people are still waiting to get back to my people. You know the routine."

"I do." She replied. "I'm sure we'll be expedient and precise in our procedures, as always. I know you'll catch your man… or woman, whichever the perpetrator happens to be this time." She babbled for a moment, finding that she couldn't keep her focus on her words, and with his hand gently pressing the flesh of her hand, there was even more lack of focus. She slowly pulled one of her hands from his, and lifted her glass of wine, sipping the sweet taste into her mouth, feeling the tingle of alcohol on her tongue as she attempted to dull the anxiety coursing through her.

Booth watched her eyes very carefully, reading each and every movement as if it had meaning or a purpose, still reeling from the fact that he was actually on a date with his beautiful partner. "I'm glad that you decided to meet me here." She said, setting the glass down, she allowed her hand to slip back into his, and she felt a slight grip on her fingertips that didn't go unnoticed. He was obviously feeding off the connection, and obviously wanted more.

"I didn't think I had a choice." He said, his voice teasing and playful, she simply smiled. He leaned slightly over the table and his playful smile quickly turned sincere.

"Yes, it appears that I can be quite bossy when there is something that I want." She paused. "I hope that you didn't feel pressured to come here tonight."

"Absolutely not." He replied. "It was an honor to be forced out to dinner, and told what to wear." He said with a laugh. "You know what you want. That's very, very attractive. Have I told you how beautiful you look this evening?" He asked, that cocky smile rising on his lips, she could see right through it and see the anxiety in his eyes, but she played along.

"I don't believe that you have." She teased.

"You are breathtaking." He whispered, sharing a smile that lingered between them, until their meal arrived to break the spell they were both under.

The actual meal was filled with light conversation and a bit of banter, smiles and laughs between the two of them made things feel a bit less awkward, and when dessert arrived at their table, they fell into a silence that made her cheeks flush with warmth.

He looked across the table and could see over the candlelight and watched her hand touch her face lightly, her eyes focusing on the small slice of cheesecake before her. Her eyes traveled up and met his, and she gave him a sideways smile. "What?" She asked.

"Nothing, just admiring." He replied.

"Admiring me, or admiring my dessert?" She asked, glancing down to her fork as it twirled on the white plate beside the slice, his own slice of cake in front of him was waiting to be devoured.

"Would you believe me if I said you?"

"Mm…" She eyed him carefully and smiled. "Probably not." She said as she put a little bit of cheesecake on a fork and offered it to him he leaned slightly, and she nodded just a bit, letting him know that he was falling for her bait hook, line, and sinker. His eyes remained on hers as he let her slide the forkful of cake in his mouth, feeling the soft, velvety texture of the cake as her lip quirked up in a smile.

"Good, isn't it?" She whispered. "Creamy?" She watched him nod. "Maybe someday, I'll let you have a taste of me." She said in a low, sultry voice, he found it impossible to swallow the bit of cheesecake in his mouth as he sat down slowly. His eyes never left hers, and he could feel his cheeks burning in surprise as she sat back in her chair, took a forkful of her cheesecake and watched him attempt to recover as she slid the velvety dessert between her lips. She looked up at his eyes as she swallowed her bit of cake. "You know, for comparison." She said, watching his tongue dart out across his lips, she smiled, and he had to avert his gaze, in fear that if it were possible, he would turn to a pile of rubble right then and there. He still hadn't said anything, and she could tell that he was struggling a bit as she leaned her fork across abruptly and scooped a bit of his cake from his plate. "Mm…" She moaned, swallowing the bit of cake she watched his eyes narrow. "You're very quiet all of a sudden."

He smiled and tugged his plate away from her, giving her a playful glare. "Just eat your own dessert." He said, watching the smile light up her face as he shook his head, laughing as she did the same.

When dessert was finished, and the bill was paid, Booth insisting that he'd take care of it, simply because Brennan had been the one to make the reservation. He stood up slowly and walked around the table, pulling her chair out for her as he took her hand and walked with her to the coat room. She handed over her ticket and waited patiently, his hand in hers until they lifted her coat over the counter. He very carefully held it out to her, lifting it onto her shoulders as he felt her cinching it in the front, turning around quickly, she was nearly in his arms and let out a small giggle. "I guess I had a little more to drink than I thought." She said with a silly smile.

"Do you need a ride home?" He asked, feeling her body push into his just slightly, she felt the gentle pull of her hand on his tie.

"You'd like that, wouldn't you?" She whispered.

"I like knowing that you are safe." He whispered, trying to control his body from reacting as she held his tie in her hand, running her thumb down the silk material as her eyes met his again. "How did you get here?" He asked as he wrapped his arm around her shoulder, and walked with her toward the door and out onto the sidewalk.

"Cab." She replied.

"That's no good, Bones."

"Then what are my options?" She asked, turning back into his arms, once again taking his tie in her hand.

"I will bring you home, walk you to your door, and say goodnight."

"Say goodnight?"

"Yes." He replied. "That's what all gentlemen do."

"So you're saying that you're not going to take advantage of me?" She asked, lifting an eyebrow at him as her lip quirked in a lazy smile.

"I think I have been doing that for far too long already." He whispered, bending his elbow, she slipped her arm in the crook of his, and they walked silently to his truck together.


	21. Pocket Pair

The drive toward Brennan's apartment was mostly in silence, and their hands hovered slightly over their leg as if they wanted to bridge that distance. There was a sense of nervous electricity between them, a tension that was typically there, but more comfortable and exciting. She could sense his eyes on her now and then, and was happy for the darkness of the car as the blush reached her cheeks just slightly, sending a warm feeling through her, despite the frigid February cold outside.

When he finally did speak, it was when they were pulling the car to the front of the apartment, and he finally reached across the gap and took her hand in his. "Thank you for inviting me to dinner." He said softly.

She smiled, feeling the gentle squeeze of his hand on hers. "Thank you for accompanying me." She replied as she unlatched her seatbelt and squeezed his hand, she watched him with a humored glance. "Aren't you going to walk me to my door?"

"Oh… yeah, of course." He said with a smile, reluctantly letting her hand from his grasp, he turned the SUV off, and pocketed the keys, climbing quickly from his seat, he walked around to the other side of the car as he watched the door open, grabbing it with his hand, he pulled it the rest of the way and held his hand out to her.

She smiled, her eyebrows raised in an obviously humored manner as she let out a laugh. "You don't have to help me from my seat, Booth."

"Hey, you want all of the perks of a first date. Take my hand." He said, watching her smile soften a bit, she nodded as she set her hand in his. "Well thank you then, sir."

"It is my pleasure." He said, bringing her hand to his lips, he dropped a tender kiss on her skin, not missing her reaction as she slipped her lower lip into her mouth and bit down just slightly. He helped her from the car, and she looped her arm in his, as he closed the car door behind them, and walked her down the sidewalk toward the door of her building.

They walked silently to the elevator together, her eyes sneaking a glance at him now and then as she smiled smugly into the mirrored reflection of themselves in the doors, her eyes flickering up to his as he raised his eyebrows, eliciting a giggle. The doors opened and she let out a laugh as she pulled him along. "This is ridiculous!" She said as she pulled him along toward her door, stopping as they approached it, she pulled her keys out and put the key in the lock, turning around to find that he had invaded her space once again. Her breath sucked in a gasp as she caught his eyes, and held them.

Before she could speak, he lifted his index finger to her lips, and took her hand in his. "I'm onto you, Temperance Brennan." He said, leaning down to kiss her cheek, he watched her eyes sparkle as he let his finger slide over her cheek, before dropping his hand to his side. "Thank you for a wonderful evening." He said, taking a step backwards, he watched her eyes follow him as she tipped her head. "Goodnight." He said, stepping into the open elevator, he watched her stare after him, as the doors closed, blocking her view of his retreating form.

The moment the elevator doors closed, he could feel his breath holding, the elevator sending him back to the car, he could think of nothing but the woman he left standing beside her door. Her eyes remained in his memory far longer than they had ever before, and as he stepped off the elevator on the ground floor, he felt the rush of air from his held breath release in a sense of pent up energy that he needed to get out.

He stepped outside into the brisk winter air, and walked toward his car, the scent of her perfume still lingering on him, as if he needed a reminder of how beautiful she was. He smiled to himself as he pictured her spellbound stare, watching him with rapt awareness, and he climbed into the car, satisfied that the evening was a success.

Still standing by the closed door of her apartment, Brennan listened to the gentle chime of the elevator as it descended, her breath sucked from her, she breathed in sharply as she turned around, nearly running into the closed door as she grabbed hold of the doorknob. She giggled in an almost giddy excitement, closing her eyes as she rested her head on the door, she looked up at the door frame and let out a laugh, finally turning the knob and pushing the door open.

She stepped into her apartment and pulled the key from the lock, and closed the door behind her, locking it securely. She surveyed her apartment for a moment, her back resting against the door, and she smiled self satisfactorily in spite of herself. She pushed herself off the door and walked through the living room, setting her purse on the couch, she pulled her coat off and hung it on a hook in the hallway as she made her way toward her bedroom, to prepare for bed.

When he made it to his apartment, he felt a sense of relief that seemed odd to him, the memory of the evening seemed to skitter across his mind. It felt different to him, to think of an evening with his partner as anything more than two friends having drinks, it felt nice. He could hear her laugh in his mind, a sound that he always loved to hear, but didn't realize the effect it had on him. He could still smell her perfume on his jacket as he pulled it from his shoulders and tossed it on the couch, turning toward his bedroom, he paused for a moment as his eyes flickered to the phone.

Without a pause for second thought, he reached for the receiver and quickly dialed that familiar number, needing or wanting to hear her voice just one more time before he went to bed. The phone rang once, twice, three times before the machine picked up, and he wondered if he should leave a message. He was about to decide when he heard a fumbling on the other line as the recording was cut off.

"Hello?"

"Bones." His voice was strong and tender, and he could hear a bit of surprise in her breath as he let out a nervous laugh. "I just… I wanted to say thank you for tonight."

"Oh." She said softly. "You're welcome." She said, though it sounded a bit awkward, as if she wasn't sure that it was the correct response. "Thank you."

"I had a really great time." He replied.

"I did too." She paused. "I look forward to our next date."

He paused for a moment and let out another nervous laugh. "It sounds silly, but I just wanted to call and let you know I made it home okay, and to let you know again that I had a good time."

"You said great time first… then good…" She said, a teasing tone in her voice. "Which was it?"

"It was… mysterious…" he replied with a smile. "Mystifying." He said, listening to her laugh on the other end of the line. "Goodnight, Bones."

"Goodnight, Booth." She paused. "Sweet dreams."

"You bet." He replied. "Maybe I'll see you tomorrow."

"Yeah. Maybe."

"Sweet dreams."

"Goodnight."


	22. Underdog

**Thursday, February 24**

The lab was quite active the next morning when Booth stepped through the doors, whistling to himself as he stepped up to the platform and pulled his card through the security device just as his foot hit the top step. He stopped whistling when he noticed Cam, Clark, and Hodgins turn and give him a glance that appeared to be of annoyance. "Hey, who put lemon juice on your Cap'n crunch this morning?" He asked, watching them turn back to the body in front of them as he stepped around the examination table. "Got anything for me today?"

"Did we call you?" Cam asked, pointing to something on the body, she asked Clark about it, and Booth's eyes wandered the lab for a second and settled back on the body. She didn't sound irritated, mostly surprised, and instead of dropping it, he pressed on.

"No, but I was tired of sitting at my desk, I just thought I'd stop in and see how you guys were doing." Booth shrugged. "Bones usually calls me three or four times by this time of day."

"Perhaps Doctor Brennan has other needs that can't simply be met by a simple phone call." Clark said, looking up to see Booth's scowl. "Sorry." He mumbled as he made an excuse to exit the platform quickly.

Hodgins used a pair of tweezers to pull something from the body and placed it in a plastic container. "I haven't been sleeping very well." Hodgins said with a yawn. "Sorry if I seem a bit standoffish."

"Baby isn't even here, and already it's keeping you up all night?" Booth chuckled as Hodgins glared.

"What's the excuse for your mood?" Booth asked, turning his attention on Cam, who looked up at him with almost a surprised glance that he was talking to her.

"I'm not in a mood, Seeley." She said, glancing to Hodgins, who held up his container of particulates and moved quickly toward his work station. "So what came of last night?" She asked, trying not to sound overly interested, though Booth could see right through it.

"It was fine." He nodded. "It was a very nice dinner."

"Did you get lucky?" Clark asked as he stepped closer to Booth, who scowled.

"Are you looking to get unlucky?" He asked with a glare.

"Innocent question." Clark said, holding his hands up in innocence. "I thought we were all open and honest, touchy feely about our emotions around here. I didn't realize that there were some topics that were off limits."

"If it involves me, it's off limits." Booth snapped as he walked around to some of the evidence that was collected. "Angela got anything for me to send through for ID yet?"

"Still working on it, Seeley." Cam replied. "We're not miracle workers here. When we have something for you, we'll call you. Just like we always do." She said, watching him nod his head.

"Okay. Thanks." He said as he stepped around the table and walked toward the steps. His eyes automatically went to the office around the corner, and he smiled to himself as he walked down the stairs and directly toward her open door. Her blinds were closed, and though he wasn't sure why, he just assumed she had been looking for a little bit of privacy.

He stepped to her door and found her working diligently at her desk, automatically looking up when she noticed the shadow in her doorway. Her smile hid nothing as she watched him return a smile to her. "Hi." She said, watching him wave his hand.

"What are you up to today?" He asked. "Bones, bones, and more bones?"

"That is my chosen career." She said as she stood up, surprising him as she approached quickly, but a bit disappointed when she turned sharply in front of him toward a cabinet. "And what are you up to this morning?"

"Just checking on my case." He said, turning to watch her looking through some things, she pulled out a box. "You need help with anything?"

"Nope. I'm good." She said as she started to step past him, he reached out and pulled the box from her. "Booth. You don't…"

"You're right, I don't have to… I choose to. Where do you want it?"

"Over there." She said as she walked with him toward the coffee table, he placed the box down, standing up to see that she had once again invaded his personal space. He turned around and she smiled, he instantly felt heat in his ears as he breathed in the scent of her perfume. "Thank you."

"You're welcome." He said with a smile, watching her step back, he followed her with his eyes as she moved toward her desk again. "I just wanted to stop in and say hello… before I left again…" He shrugged. "Did you want to get lunch together this afternoon?"

"I… actually have plans for lunch." She said with a regretful sigh and a sincere smile. "I'm sorry."

"Hey, it's okay." He nodded. "You're a busy woman."

"Yes I am." She said as she gave him an apologetic smile. He stood there for a moment, and she glanced to her desk. "Thank you for stopping by." She said, stepping toward her chair.

"Oh… yeah." He said, nodding. "Um, have a good day. I'll see you around." He said, trying to hide a bit of disappointment in his voice.

"You have a good day too." She replied, watching him walk toward the door.

"Maybe lunch tomorrow or something." He shrugged.

"Tomorrow wouldn't be good for lunch either, I'm afraid."

"Oh." He nodded. "Well, I'll see you around then, Bones." He said.

"Booth." Her voice stopped him as he stepped through the doorway to her office, and he turned to face her. "Would you be available for dinner tomorrow evening? It's Friday."

"I am available for dinner." He nodded. "What did you have in mind?" He asked, a smile playing at his lips as he tried to remain calm despite his pounding heartbeat.

"You will see." She smiled.

"Any rules this time?"

"I trust that you understand my taste." She said, stepping around her desk, she approached him, and he glanced to the doorway very quickly before taking a step toward her.

"I do."

"Then I will allow you to choose your own tie." She said playfully, stepping closer to him, she rested her hand on his chest for a moment, the tie beneath her fingertips. He was certain she could feel his heart beating wildly in his chest, and she dropped her hand.

"Any other requests?"

"No gun." She said pointedly, watching his brow furrow in confusion.

"See, I don't understand that." He said, watching the coy smile at her lips. "Why no gun?"

She paused for a moment, watching his eyes as she lifted her hand, well aware that the blinds in her office were closed as she reached her hand to his jacket. His back was to the door, so anyone stepping in wouldn't be the wiser, and she slipped her hand into his jacket very slowly as her hand settled on the gun in his shoulder holster. She eyed him very carefully and bit her lower lip. "Because this… is business." She said, raising her eyebrows as she let her hand slide back, watching him elicit a small gasp as her hand touched his abdomen, sliding slowly to his side, her eyes never leaving his. "This…" She paused. "This is pleasure. I don't like mixing those two things." She smiled as she took a step back, watching him hold his breath. "Any more questions?"

"No." He said quickly. "No more questions." He said as he watched her step toward her desk slowly.

"I'll see you later, Booth." She said, tipping her head when she realized he was still standing where she had left him, the smile on her lips was not able to be hidden.

"Later." He stammered. "See you later." He said, pointing his finger for a second, before turning swiftly and heading out of her office at double speed.


	23. Poker

Booth went to lunch alone, stepping through the diner as the waitress nodded in acknowledgment of his presence, prepared to bring him his sandwich and chips that he typically had. He stopped at the counter and sat in one of the bar stools instead of proceeding to the back table that he and Brennan typically sat at. She brought him a glass of water, and he smiled to the other people in the diner, as his eyes flashed to the window for a moment, hoping that just maybe Brennan would have changed her plans for him and showed up at the diner. With a resigning sigh, he turned back around and came nearly face to face with Doctor Lance Sweets, as he sidled up into the bar stool beside Booth.

"Sweets." Booth said, nodding as he took a sip from his water.

"Hey, Booth." He said, turning to the waitress, he gave his order and leaned on the counter slightly. "So how are things?" He asked, trying to hide the mildly cheesy grin on his face as Booth gave him a sideways glare.

"What are you so happy about?"

"Just in a good mood." He shrugged.

"Mm…" Booth nodded. After a moment, his sandwich arrived, and he nodded to the waitress with a smile and a thank you. He started eating and before long, Sweets received his lunch, and paused before eating.

"You know what I find funny?"

"Fart jokes, and rattling keys?" Booth muttered as he glanced to Sweets.

"Funny." Sweets glared. "I think it's funny that when you were dating Hannah, that's all we heard about…" He paused, getting Booth's attention. "But now that you're dating Doctor Brennan, you haven't said a word."

"That's because Bones and I aren't dating." Booth said, biting his sandwich, he looked away from Sweets and chewed.

"That's not what I heard."

"Mm…" Booth nodded, popping a chip into his mouth, he chewed it a bit and glanced to Sweets. "So what did you hear?"

Sweets let out a chuckle, which elicited a glare from Booth. "Nothing, just that you and Doctor Brennan were dating, and that's why you took a break from working together."

"No." Booth shook his head, putting his sandwich down. "That's not true. Bones and I went out to dinner last night. One dinner that was not case related does not a date make."

"That's a date."

"Stop." Booth warned.

"What? That's a date."

"Fine, if you want to call it a date, then it was a date."

"Did you sleep together?" Sweets asked.

"You know what?" Booth asked, sliding from the bar stool. "I'm done talking." He turned around and walked toward the table near the window.

"Hey, I'm sorry." Sweets said as he walked to the table with his lunch, he reached for the chair, but found he was unable to move it. He looked beneath it, and noticed that Booth had locked his ankle beneath the foot rest on the chair. "Come on, man. I'm sorry." Sweets said with a sigh. "I know you respect Doctor Brennan way too much than to take things too fast." Sweets said as Booth glared for another moment, before kicking the chair, nearly hitting a very sensitive part of the Doctor's anatomy.

"You can sit, but keep your trap shut." Booth said with a grunt.

Sweets sat down slowly and watched the agent sitting across from him as he ate. He remained quiet as long as he could, watching Booth glance out the window now and then. "So where is Doctor Brennan now? Don't you guys have lunch together?"

"She had plans."

"So she couldn't meet for lunch."

"Good job, Sweets. You get a gold star for your deductive reasoning skills."

"You're pretty sensitive about this whole thing, Booth."

"Well, it's private." Booth said, leaning slightly over the table. "We are keeping business and… our personal life separate. We'd appreciate it if you do the same."

"You can't keep your business and personal life separate, Booth. You work in a high stress job together. Personal ties can cause problems, not to mention that the FBI frowns upon fraternization with contractors."

"Right, like you and Daisy." Booth said, nodding his head, Sweets glared back at him.

"That's different." Sweets glared, noting that Booth had no interest in continuing this line of conversation, they both continued to eat. "So what do you think Doctor Brennan is doing for lunch?"

"I don't know, working probably." Booth said, popping another chip in his mouth.

"So you guys are going to have lunch tomorrow, then."

"No." Booth said, shaking his head. "She's busy tomorrow afternoon."

"So she already has plans two days in a row… she won't work with you, so you haven't seen her on a daily basis. She's playing you, man."

"Shut up, Sweets."

"What? She made the request not to work with you for the month." Sweets shrugged. "Who made the first move for the date?"

"That has nothing to do with anything." Booth replied.

"Who made the first move, just tell me who made the first move."

"She did."

"So she's calling the shots?"

"No." Booth glared. "I'm not talking about this anymore." He said as he took out a few dollars and stood up. "Thanks for the unenlightening conversation, Sweets." He said with a sarcastic smirk and an eyebrow raise.

"All I'm saying, Booth… is that you're talking about a woman who thought it was okay to date two guys at the same time… One because he was socially enlightening, and another because he was physically satisfying."

"Well then, it's a good thing I'm both." Booth said, patting Sweets' head condescendingly as he turned around and walked to the register to pay for his lunch.


	24. Raising The Stakes

Booth worked from his office that afternoon, his phone quiet as far as the case, he worked on a few other things that he had hoped to get finished before the weekend, so they weren't on his mind. His mood was oddly light, and despite the tiny seeds of doubt that Sweets had tried to plant in Booth's mind, Booth refused to fertilize them with his own guesses and thoughts.

Brennan was a trustworthy, reliable woman.

She was pursuing him.

She had showed an interest in him personally, and physically.

She was the one that was calling the shots.

Brennan was calling the shots.

Bones.

Bones always called the shots.

Booth closed his eyes and rubbed his thumb and forefinger at the bridge of his nose, his eyes flicked to his watch. He noted that it was nearly six in the afternoon, and the bullpen had quieted to a dull roar from its typical buzz. He stood up quickly and grabbed his things, and made his way out of the office quick enough that he wondered if he was just rushing away from his own train of thought.

The ride home was in silence, and he picked up some take out on the way to his apartment, whistling softly to the music on the radio. He pulled the car up to the building, grabbed the bag from the seat next to him and made his way toward his front door. Unlocking the door quickly, he stepped inside, walked toward the kitchen and pulled two plates from the cupboard. He then rolled his eyes and slid one plate back into the cupboard before making his way to the couch. Settling on the cushion, he put his plate on the coffee table and pulled his dinner from the bag, very quickly realizing that he had ordered a little too much for one person. He put some of the food from the take out containers on his plate and was just about to pick it up, when he heard the low buzzing of his cell phone on the table next to the couch.

Leaning over, he didn't look at the screen, simply answering with a low "Booth."

"Hi."

He didn't have to ask who it was, her voice was immediately recognizable, but he found that he couldn't quite think of what to say. "Bones." He said, attempting to keep the smile out of his voice, he leaned back, abandoning his meal. "What do you need?"

"I'm not in need of anything." She replied. "Are you at home?"

He glanced to his dinner as it sat cooling on his coffee table, and disregarded it immediately. "Yeah, just got here." He replied. "What's going on?"

She paused now, as if she were running something through her mind, he could almost hear the gears in her brain working. "I just wanted to ensure that you had a productive afternoon." She paused. "I am used to having you around the lab a lot more than you're typically needed."

"I missed you too, Bones." There was a long pause on the other end of the line, and Booth could tell that she seemed a bit nervous in the conversation, but was trying very hard not to be obvious about it. He let her have her moment, and in attempt to quell her anxiety, he spoke confidently to her. "My afternoon was very productive. I can see that you squints are very distracting over there at the lab, and I get a lot more done when I don't have you guys to bug."

"I too… enjoy your company." She replied. "I'm sorry that we couldn't meet for lunch."

That was the moment that thoughts of his conversation with Sweets came rushing back to his mind, thoughts of what he had said, what he had implied, and his insecurity was threatening to get the best of him. "Hey, it's okay. I just had my usual sandwich and chips at the diner. Sweets was there, he irritated me as only he can." He said casually. He wanted to ask her what her plans had been, but paused. "How was your lunch?"

"Enjoyable." She replied, followed by an awkward pause. He thought it was slightly odd that she didn't care to enlighten him about her lunch, but not exactly out of the ordinary. Brennan was, after all, a very private person.

"Did you get much work done around the lab?"

"Yes." She replied. "I also got several things done outside the lab as well. It was quite enjoyable."

"You've used that word twice." He said, pausing. "You never say something is enjoyable." He teased.

"Are you implying something, Booth?"

"No." He said, his tone still friendly. "No, I was just… just teasing you a little. Tell me something that you did today." He said, in attempt to make small talk, for despite his dinner cooling more and more by the second, he wasn't quite ready to let her off the phone.

"Why?" She asked, her voice was slightly suspicious, and he could tell that she was being slightly defensive. "You trust me, right?"

"Absolutely." He replied immediately, though he could feel the lump in his throat when he heard her tone. "I'm just trying to make small talk, Bones. I am interested in what you did today."

"Oh." She said. "Well, I was able to complete some paperwork on the bodies that I was able to identify from bone storage last week, and then worked on several other sets of remains. I answered some e-mails, and took a look at the body that was brought in by the FBI techs, and went over some of the particulars with Clark." She said, her voice quick and clinical, Booth realized that none of those things involved things outside of the lab, and as he thought of that, he didn't realize that she was addressing him again. "Booth, are you alright?"

"Yeah." He said quickly. "I'm… I'm fine."

"Did I call at a bad time?" She asked.

"No." He replied. "I'm glad you called."

"How did Sweets irritate you?" She asked, as if it had been on her mind since he said it.

"I'm sorry?"

"Sweets. You said you had lunch with Sweets. What did he do to irritate you?"

Booth paused slightly, glancing to the food on the table, he was tempted to cut her short and get to eating his meal, just to avoid this line of conversation, but something made him pause for another moment. "Booth?"

"Sorry." He said quickly. "You know Sweets… sticking his nose in where it doesn't belong… typical Sweets stuff."

"Where did he stick his nose, Booth?" She asked, her voice becoming slightly more stern.

"It wasn't a big deal, Bones. He was just asking questions, trying to get me to tell him stuff by making me feel insecure about our relationship. It wasn't really…"

"You feel insecure about our relationship?"

"No."

"But you just insinuated that Sweets made you feel insecure about our relationship."

"He tried to make me feel insecure, Bones. It's fine. He was just attempting to weasel some information out of me about our date. Reminding me of your beliefs and your past experiences… he thought that if…"

"What past experiences?"

"Bones, don't make me tattle on the boy."

"I don't know what that means."

"It means I'm not a snitch."

"It's not snitching if you're telling the truth to your girlfriend. Communication is a key part of any relationship. If I am to trust you, you're going to have to share." She replied, and he could just hear the cockiness in her voice as she spoke, sending a smile to his lips. "What past experiences did Sweets cite?"

"Bones." Booth said, he listened for a moment and heard nothing on the other end of the line but her soft breathing. "Fine. He reminded me about the time you were dating that Jason guy, and that Mark guy at the same time, because you liked them for different reasons."

"And you think that is what I'm doing with you?" She asked.

"No, Bones. No. I know you. You have changed your perceptions of relationships since that whole thing. It was a pretty crappy thing for Sweets to do, insinuating that you had less than honorable intentions."

"Would you beat him up for me?" She asked, a playful tone in her voice.

"If you wanted me to." He said, letting out a slight chuckle. "Do you want me to beat him up?"

Brennan paused, as if she were actually thinking about it, a smile spreading on her face that she couldn't resist. "I will think on that, and get back to you." She replied coyly.

"Bones?" Booth said softly, waiting for her to reply, he could hear her breath.

"Yes?"

"So you're my girlfriend?" He asked, feeling all the world like a kid, asking a girl to go steady with him. He was glad she couldn't see the dark red of his ears, and she was glad that he couldn't see the blush of her cheeks.

"Yes."

There was a short pause that was filled with a million words between the two of them, and only one escaped. "Good." He replied.

"I should go." She said softly into the line. "I just wanted to call and see how your day was."

"Thanks, Bones."

"Goodnight, Booth."

"Sweet dreams, Bones." He said, as they simultaneously hung up the phone. Booth couldn't help but smiling to himself, a bright grin of happiness as he leaned forward to his now cold plate of food. He dug a fork in and tipped back, as he ate, that grin never leaving his face.


	25. No Limit

Sweets sat at his desk typing a case study in the computer, when he heard a gentle knock on his door. When he turned to see Brennan walking through, his eyebrows lifted. "Doctor Brennan." He said, genuinely surprised. "I thought we weren't going to be having any sessions until you and Agent Booth were working together again."

"Well, that doesn't appear to be the case." She said, walking around the side of the couch, she glanced. "Is this a bad time?"

"No, no… have a seat… have a seat, Doctor Brennan." Sweets said, standing up, he walked toward her and sat in the chair across from the small sofa, where she sat slowly and eyed Sweets. "Was there something specific that you wanted to discuss?"

Brennan watched him, her eyes were certain and clear, and she sat down and watched Sweets sit across from her. "Yes." She said, clearing her throat. "It may have come to your attention that Agent Booth and myself have been seeing one another socially. I am aware of the speed of which gossip flows between agencies, and this seems to be no exception."

Sweets became very interested all of a sudden, knitting his brow in what she perceived as faux understanding. She noted to herself that he always seemed to get that constipated look on his face when he 'listened' to herself or Booth, and this was no exception. "There was talk that you and Agent Booth have taken your relationship to the next level, yes. Is that what you needed to talk about?"

"Yes." She replied curtly. "You see, my life has always been kept quite private. There are very few people that I trust enough to share the intimate details of my growing up, and subsequent abandonment, foster care, and so on."

"Yes." Sweets nodded, that constipated look intensifying just a bit, as he nodded his head.

"I lead my life in such a way that my beliefs and feelings have grown and fostered with each and every relationship that I have forged, Doctor Sweets." Brennan stated seriously, watching Sweets nod his head. "I have taken social cues from many experiences of my life, and I have learned, quite a lot while dealing in the business of murder and death. I started out my research and work with ancient remains, and have become an expert in my field."

"You should be very proud of yourself, Doctor Brennan."

"Oh, I am." She replied. "And do you know what else I'm proud of?"

"What is that?" He asked, leaning closer to her, listening intently.

"I'm also proud of the fact that I would be able to rid myself of a bothersome person that perhaps… meddled with the things in my life that I hold close to my heart. If I were to feel my personal safety, my privacy, the intimate details of my relationship with a lover or friend were threatened, Doctor Sweets. I do have the ability to make everything disappear. I have ways to hide evidence so that it would never be found, if so inclined."

"I…" Sweets began to stammer.

"I don't appreciate what you insinuated about me yesterday afternoon, Doctor Sweets." She replied curtly. "I have worked very hard to get to where I am right now, and to have gained the trust of the people in my life. If I feel that trust is being tampered with, I will be forced to take action. Do you understand me?" She asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Are you threatening me, Doctor Brennan?"

She stood up suddenly, and shouldered her bag, staring directly into the eyes of the now incredibly nervous doctor. "I understand there is a saying… curiosity killed the cat, Doctor Sweets." She said, turning from the couch, she walked toward the door, and stepped out into the hallway without another word.

* * *

Booth sat at his desk working through some of the information that he had gotten on their possible suspects, as he gathered information from several databases. He watched the screen run through some information, and heard the soft knock on his door. "Come in." He said without looking up, his attention finally moving to the door, he all but beamed at the woman stepping into his office. "Bones."

"Am I interrupting?" She said softly.

"No! No… no, come in." He said, waving her into the room. "Sit… what are you doing on this side of town?"

She sat down in the chair across from his desk and smiled. "I was in the surrounding area. I thought it would be rude if I didn't stop and say hello."

"Right." Booth nodded. "Since we're in the same social circles and all."

"Right." She nodded, smiling at his reference to what she had said when he had asked his questions surrounding their arrangement. There was a moment of silence as they both watched one another, the near puckered looks on their faces hiding the grins that they wished to display. "Have you had any leads in the case?" She asked, leaning forward slightly, she set her fingers on the edge of his desk, and looked to him, his eyes flicking from her hand to her face.

"Um… no… nothing yet, nothing yet. Angela got the ID this morning, and we're working on getting a suspect list." He paused, but continued. "Really, Bones… what are you doing here?"

"Isn't it possible that I stopped by simply to say hello, because I missed your presence in the lab?"

He shook his head, the suspicious glare he gave her was not sincere, and she could read that in the playful gleam in his eyes. "No way. What's going on?"

She smiled suddenly, the sly look in her eyes sparkled with secrecy as she leaned forward. "I visited Sweets." She replied.

"Sweets?"

"Yes." She nodded. "What you told me last night made me aware that there were issues in the circumstances surrounding our relationship that needed to be worked out."

"And you worked them out?" He asked, obviously amused by her serious take on the entire thing.

"I worked them out."

"And how did you do this?" He asked.

"Well, I just made it clear that I am capable of getting away with murder… if it came to that."

Booth grinned at his partner, letting out a laugh as he sat back in his chair and tipped his head back. "You did not!"

"The perfect murder, Booth." She shrugged, catching his eyes when he looked back to her. "If anyone could get away with it…"

"It would be you." Booth nodded. His eyes flicked to the clock on the wall and back to his partner, and Brennan looked to her watch.

"Oh… I have to go." She said as she sat up and glanced to the clock, almost as if she were hoping that the time on it would be different from her watch.

"Lunch date?" He asked, catching her quirk her eyebrow as she stood up.

"Sort of." She replied. "Prior engagement. I will see you this evening?"

"I'll pick you up at seven." He said, standing up with her to walk her to the door. He stepped around his desk, and she walked toward the glass door, looking back to him.

"That should be fine." She nodded as she glanced to her watch again as he approached. She paused with her hand on the door and watched him invade her personal space just slightly. She turned toward him, and found herself staring into his eyes.

"Thank you for stopping by." He said, a friendly smile on his lips, he glanced down when she placed her hand on his tie and pressed down lightly against his chest. Her lower lip slipped into her mouth and her eyes narrowed slightly as if she were thinking. "What's wrong?" He asked.

"Come with me." She said, her eyes brightening, she nodded toward the door.

"What?"

"Come with me. I could use your help."

"Where are we going?"

"That doesn't concern you. Come with me." She said, pulling at the door, she opened it.

"But Bones." He said, feeling a gentle tug at his tie, she lifted an eyebrow at him, and he couldn't resist.

"Fine, let me get my coat." He said, taking a step backwards, he grabbed his coat and slipped it onto his shoulders. "How am I going to know where to go, if you won't tell me?"

"I'm driving." She said, opening the door to send him through, he stepped forward with an incredulous look.

"Wait." He said, stopping in the open door, he almost ran into her as she looked to him impatiently. "You told Sweets your plans for the perfect murder, but not me?"

"I told him plan b." She said, giving him a playful push. "Now go, before I change my mind about who I'd murder." She said, watching him smile as he led the way toward the elevator, the two of them bickering for the entire world to see.


	26. Turnabout is Foreplay

Booth pestered Brennan for most of the drive toward their destination, and each time he'd ask her where they were going, she'd simply shake her head. "Booth, you will see in a minute."

"Are you taking me to some back alley where you can demonstrate this perfect murder plan that you have?" He asked, noting the slight irritation in her glare.

"Booth." She said bluntly, turning onto the next street when the light turned green. "My idea of the perfect murder would not occur in a back alley, Booth." She said, eying him sternly.

"And where did you say it would occur?" He asked, lifting an eyebrow suspiciously.

"I didn't." She said, pulling in front of a small business, she pulled her car into park. "Now get out, we're here." She said, climbing from her seat, she walked around the car just as she watched him let out a laugh while closing his door. "What?" She asked.

"Just Desserts." He said, letting out another humored laugh as he pointed at the sign, and looked back to Brennan.

"Yes." She said, walking up beside him. "That's the name of the bakery." She said, confused at the reason he was laughing. "I don't… oh!" She exclaimed with a laugh. "Just Desserts… though properly, it

is spelled with only one 's', as in 'desert', meaning that with merit, or deserving of… it was perverted here, to imply that…"

"Bones?" Booth said, a cringing look on his face. "Never use the word 'perverted', and 'dessert' in the same sentence, okay?" He said, watching her glare at him. "Is this where we're going?"

"Yes." She said, grabbing his hand without warning, she entwined her fingers with his, and walked with him toward the door of the bakery.

"Wait." He said, stopping her for a second, he turned around.

"What's wrong?"

"Can I have your car keys for a second?" He asked, watching her eyebrow lift in curiosity, he wiggled his fingers for emphasis. "Come on, Bones… keys." He said, watching her roll her eyes, she tossed the keys to him and he smiled as he turned toward the car. She watched him pull his gun from the holster, and slide it into the glove compartment, locking it securely. He then backed out of the car and closed the door, turning around to her curious look. "What?" He shrugged as he walked up to her and offered his arm. "I didn't want to be accused of this being a business date." He said as he opened the door for her and nodded toward the establishment.

She stepped forward and stopped in front of him, wrapping her hand lightly around his tie as she looked him directly in the eyes. "I do believe that this is foreplay, Agent Booth."

"You haven't seen anything yet, Bones." He said, smoothing his tie, her hand slipped down, as she made sure to bump her knuckle against his belt buckle. His eyes narrowed as she gave him a sly smile, and walked into the bakery ahead of him.

* * *

Brennan stepped right up to the counter, ringing the bell; she waited for the woman that she had spoken to on the phone to come to the counter as she turned to see Booth standing with his hands on his pockets, his eyes traveling the walls of cake pictures. He seemed to be quite nervous, his eyes passing over each pictured wedding cake with an anxious nod, as they finally came to rest on hers.

"Are you alright, Booth?"

"Uh huh." He nodded.

"You're sweating." She said, noting the bit of perspiration on his forehead, he swallowed hard.

"It's a little warm in here." He said with a polite smile, tugging at his tie just a little, she turned to the voice of the woman walking into the front.

"Can I help you?" The older woman asked, giving a friendly smile to the two of them, she glanced at the book at the counter. "The Anderson's? Here for your wedding cake tasting?" She asked with a grin.

"Um, no." Brennan shook her head. "Temperance Brennan… Baby shower." She said politely.

"Baby shower…" Booth whispered, a slight hint of relief in his words as he caught his partner's eyes. She smiled, and watched Booth's eyes narrow. "Baby shower?"

"Angela's baby shower. I told you that I was arranging it."

"Angela…" He nodded, as he seemed to physically relax. Then he leaned forward. "Why are we here for Angela's baby shower?"

"To taste cake, Booth." She said, grabbing his arm as the older woman opened the door to invite them behind the counter to one of the rooms in the back.

"Cake? We didn't even have lunch." Booth said to deaf ears, as Brennan immediately began talking to the woman about what cakes she wished to try.

They sat together in the small room in the back, its walls also decorated with picture upon picture of every type of cake that one could imagine. Booth's eyes scaled the walls picture by picture, until he caught sight of Brennan watching him. She had a bemused expression on her face, and he couldn't help but let out a chuckle.

"What?" He laughed.

"You look positively terrified."

"Terrified? I'm not terrified."

"I think, that for a man who romanticizes love and marriage as much as you do, you be comfortable in a setting like this." She replied.

"I'm fine, Bones." He laughed a bit nervously.

"Sure." She said with a smile.

"I just… don't understand why we're here, I guess."

"I'm choosing a cake flavor for Angela's baby shower cake. I thought my intentions were clear."

"Well… yeah, but… do people do this for baby showers?"

"Smart people do." She said, looking up as the older woman walked into the room with a tray full of samples. Cake samples, frosting samples, filling samples. She set them on the table and smiled at the two of them. She brought them each a glass of water, and sat down at the small table for a moment.

The woman went over the different types of cakes, icings, and fillings, and gave each of them a piece of paper to write down their favorites, and suggestions, and left the two of them to their own devices. As soon as she stepped out of the room, Brennan lifted a piece of chocolate cake with creamy white frosting to his lips, and his eyes widened as he obeyed her cue and opened his mouth, taking a bite of the cake. She smiled and raised her eyebrows at him, watching him chew, making a satisfied moaning sound, that she simply smiled at as she put the rest of the piece in her own mouth.

"Good." He said, swallowing the bit of cake as he tried to remain in control. The thought of her feeding him caught him by surprise, but his body was more than ready for it, his body liked it.

"Delicious." She said as she sipped her water, her eyebrows raised as she watched him over the glass. Her blue eyes sparkled as they narrowed in an impish grin that made his heart beat wildly in his

chest.

"Are you trying to kill me?" He whispered, half to her, half to himself as he watched her eyebrows lift questioningly.

"What was that?" She asked.

"I said, did you try the strawberry cake?" He asked, picking up the pink piece of cake as he lifted it slowly to her mouth. "Bones…"

"Hmm?" She asked as she took a seductive bite from the pink cake in his fingertips, her lip venturing a little farther than he expected as it touched his finger. He nearly moved away, the contact sending a jolt of realization, and a tiny spark of electricity through his fingertips as he tipped his head disapprovingly.

"Bones, don't… do that." He whispered.

She slowly chewed the bit of cake, taking a bit of extra time as she plucked the strawberry piece from his fingertips and reached it out to him. "Don't do what? Tell me what you think." She said, running her tongue over her upper lip, the curve of the corner of her lips making him shake his head as he accepted the bit of cake onto his tongue, letting his lip touch hers she let a little gasp escape. "Good, huh?"

"Mmhm…" He nodded, swallowing as he took a sip of water. "This is cruel." He said, a bit of a cough in his throat as he looked up at her. "You're cruel."

"I have no idea what you are talking about." She shrugged. "I invited you along because I know that you're a fan of dessert."

"Mm…"

"And I miss you. I thought you would enjoy it." She said, dipping her fingertip into some raspberry filling. "You are enjoying yourself, right?" She asked, gently suckling the raspberry from her finger, she watched him shift uncomfortably in his chair.

He reached out and touched her wrist, slowly pulling it from her mouth with a small 'smack' sound, that made him shake his head. "Yes." He said softly. He watched the smile on her lips, and had to look away from those eyes before he kissed that smile from the corner of her lips. "At the risk of sounding like a prude." He cleared his throat.

"You? A prude? Who would ever say such at thing?" She asked, watching him put the provided plate in front of his partner, and one in front of himself, he handed her a fork.

"Very funny, Bones." She shrugged and smiled, accepting half of a slice of the vanilla cake as he put the other piece on his own. "If you want to make a decision though, you should probably focus on the cake, and less on trying to make me as uncomfortable as possible." He watched that sly smile appear, and her tongue raked the top of her teeth as she tried to hide it, but it was too late. Her eyes sparkled and she looked down at the cake, swirling her fork in the frosting, she brought it to her lips and ran the tines over her tongue, looking up at him briefly. He shook his head as he watched her dip the fork into the cake, slowly, seductively. "You know what? This isn't any better." He said, clearing his throat, he stood up suddenly.

"Where are you going?" She asked, looking up at him, he sat down quickly.

"Nowhere." He said, looking across at her for a moment, he then concentrated on his plate, he dipped his fork into the cake and took a big bite. "This is good." He mumbled into the plate, his eyes refusing to lift as suddenly, a fork came into view, an off white cream at its tip.

"Taste this crème filing." She said, her voice was throaty and low, and he slowly brought his dark eyes up to hers. She smiled innocently, and he was just about to open his mouth when his phone rang. "Taste it quickly." She said, pushing the fork toward him as he lifted his phone to his ear.

"Booth."

"Just try it."

"Cut it out." Booth said, into the line, though it was meant for his partner.

"Okay." Cam said slowly, as if she didn't understand.

"Not you." He said, giving Brennan a warning glance, she lifted the fork to his face, and he lifted his hand to stop her, fighting a laugh as he got some of the filling on his finger. "What do you want, Cam?" He asked, a bit gruffly, as he tried to get Brennan to stop. She put her fork in her plate, and reached for his hand as he tried to find a napkin to wipe his finger, when Brennan grabbed his hand.

"Where are you?" Cam asked with a laugh.

"I'm at lunch. What do you want?"

"I think we found something on the body that will be able to identify the killer." Cam said, noticing that there was a long pause on the other line. "Seeley?"

"What?" He said again, his eyes were on Brennan as she pulled his hand to her lips. "Cam, what… what did you find?" He asked, distractedly as he gave Brennan a warning glance, which only encouraged her. She slipped her mouth around his finger, devouring that bit of cream on the tip of his finger as she watched his eyes widen.

"Seeley, are you alright?"

"I'm fine. I'll be right there." He said shortly as he hit the 'end' button on the phone and smacked the phone on the table, making Brennan jump. Her lips made the same smacking sound off his finger tip, and she smiled wickedly. He leaned forward and swiped frosting from one of the pieces of cake, depositing it on her nose.

"Hey!" She exclaimed with a laugh as she jumped back, watching him stand up as he leaned forward, dropping a tender kiss on her nose as he kissed the frosting from her skin, resting his forehead on hers.

"Turnabout is foreplay…" He said, taking her hand in his. "We have to go."

"But we're not done." She said as she looked back to the plate.

"Get it to go." He whispered. "You don't want to ruin dinner with all of this sweetness, do you?" He asked, leaning back slightly to look into her eyes as she stood up.

"Good point." She said, looking at him, she smiled as she leaned up and kissed just the corner of his mouth. "You missed a spot." She said, biting her lower lip as she took his hand. "Let's go…"


	27. Game Over

The drive to the lab was in relative silence, and the electricity between them was still sparking brightly. She resisted the urge to take his hand in hers, especially since they were on their way to work, and instead focused out the window at the passing scenery. They arrived at the lab, and Brennan walked ahead, as he met her in the elevator and took it together up to the lab. Just as the doors were about to open, he reached over and grabbed her hand, giving it a gentle squeeze as he smiled and she stepped out in front of him, reluctantly breaking the contact.

She walked through the glass doors and headed directly toward her office, smiling to the sparse number of people on the platform as she passed. Booth stepped up to the platform and paused as soon as he got to the top of the steps, when he noticed that Cam was watching him curiously. "What?" He asked.

"Nothing." Cam said, a humored smile on her face as she turned from him and walked around the body.

"No, what do you have?" He asked, walking around the body, he glanced to Cam.

"Where did you come from?" Cam asked.

"Philly." He replied sarcastically, trying to let it drop, but the pause made him look up at her. "Don't say a word."

"You might want to take care of the frosting on your collar." She said, dropping the conversation right then and there, as she turned and started to catch him up on the case.

* * *

When he was through talking with Cam, Booth headed toward the door, pausing just before the glass doors, when he realized he didn't have his car. He turned around and walked toward Brennan's office, stopping in the doorway, she looked up at him and smiled. "Agent Booth, to what do I owe the pleasure?"

"Keys." He simply stated, she leaned over and pulled her keys from her purse, sending them across the room, he caught them.

"Pick me up at my place at seven tonight?" She asked.

"Seven thirty?"

"Seven."

"How are you going to get home?"

"I'll have Angela drop me off to pick up the car. I have a spare key." She replied, looking down at the form in front of her, and then back at him. "Anything else?"

"Thank you for lunch." He said, a smile at the corner of his lips. "But next time, I'm hoping for something a little more satisfying."

"Baked goods aren't satisfying to you, Agent Booth?" Her eyebrow quirked up and his eyes narrowed.

"I will not fall victim to your word play, Doctor Brennan." He replied, trying his best to not show his amusement. "Have a nice afternoon." He said, turning toward the doorway, he slipped out quickly.

* * *

It was a little after seven when he knocked on her door, waiting patiently for her to answer, he heard nothing from inside. It took several knocks, but eventually the door opened. "You're late." She said softly, pulling the door open as she lifted her hand to her ear and continued to fasten the earring to her ear, he gave her an incredulous look.

"Late? I'm apparently early, you're not even ready yet."

"I said to be here at seven… it's quarter after seven." She said, glancing to the clock.

"If you answered the door when I first knocked, I would have been on time."

"That's not entirely true. You knocked at five after seven the first time." She said, turning to get her bag.

"You made me stand out there for ten minutes?" He asked.

She picked up her bag and stopped, staring at him for a moment. "I didn't want to appear too eager." She said, smiling slyly as she walked toward him, she took his arm and pulled him toward the door, as they finally left for their date.

* * *

When they arrived at the small restaurant and jazz club, Booth was impressed with the style and ease that his partner handled herself with the hostess, and after just a moment of waiting, they were brought to their table. The small table was intimate, lit by a single candle as the delicate sound of a slow song slipped effortlessly through the air. "This is a very nice place." Booth whispered across the table, quickly scooping her hand into his.

"I have always wanted to come here." She said, looking around the room, there were couples dancing to the music, slowly swaying, and she turned her attention back to Booth. His eyes had never left her, and his stare nearly made her blush. "Thank you for accompanying me."

"It was my pleasure." He said, lifting her hand to his lips, he dropped a tender kiss on her knuckle. Her eyes sparkled in the light of the candle, and he opened his mouth to say something, though he couldn't think of anything to say. He managed to whisper, "You are beautiful."

"Thank you. I bought this dress for the Jeffersonian's benefit for…"

"No." Booth interrupted. "You're beautiful. You. Not the dress, not the shoes, not the way your hair is… You are beautiful."

She paused for a moment, before a smile appeared, making her nose crinkle just a bit and her eyes sparkle. "You are very good."

"I can be." He said, watching as the waiter approached. "Or I can be very bad." He said, shrugged. "It depends on what kind of night you're looking for." He said, looking up at the waiter just as he approached the table.

* * *

Dinner was filled with thoughtful conversation, a little bit of flirting with a dash of teasing. They enjoyed one another's company immensely, and rarely did the conversation slip over to work. It was nice for a change, talking to one another without that connection that appeared to always be present, it was nice and different, and even a bit exciting.

As they finished their meal, Booth leaned slightly on the table and watched her lean toward him slightly. "Would you be interested in dancing?" He asked, reaching out for her hand, he rubbed his thumb over it softly and tipped his head.

"Of course." She said, allowing him to grasp her hand tighter as he stood up and slipped around the table, helping her from her chair. They moved together through the small crowd, to the tiny wooden dance floor before the band, and he surprised her when he tugged her arm, twirling her in a circle and back into him. She let out a laugh as she landed against him, and her smile was bright with surprise. "What happened to the holy spirit?" She asked, feeling his body moving against hers, he smiled.

"No room for the holy spirit here." He said, tipping his head to her neck, she could feel his breath raking across her skin, causing her fingers to grip him tightly as they moved over the small dance floor together.

"It appears that your charm is in full swing tonight." She whispered, she nearly jumped when she felt his lips on her neck, and the soft intake of breath.

"Mm…" He agreed, kissing her neck again, just barely. They moved over the dance floor deftly, keeping in time, keeping in rhythm. She slipped her hand beneath his jacket, resting her hand on his waist, she looked up at him and gave him a coy smile. "What are you doing, Doctor Brennan?"

"Frisking you." She said, tipping her head, she challenged him. "Is there a problem with that?"

He smiled and leaned down, pressing his lips to her ear. "No problem with that… but just know… that's not the only place I hide weapons."

She gasped, but held him tighter, as they glided over the dance floor together. She rested her head on his shoulder and closed her eyes, as he held her to him lovingly. He kissed her head and they disappeared into one another for what could have been a moment, or several moments, it didn't matter. They were just settling into one another, when Brennan felt the urgent buzzing of Booth's phone in his pocket. She heard him sigh against her, and her gentle whisper to answer it, as he pulled her along with him to the side of the dance floor. He pulled the phone from his pocket and pressed it against his ear.

"Booth." He grunted angrily into the phone, he felt Brennan's grip on his arm and sighed. "Now?" His eyes moved to Brennan. "I'm kind of busy, but yeah, I can handle it. I'll be there in about an hour. I have something that I need to do first." He said softly. "Yeah." He grunted, hanging up the phone, he could see that she had been watching his face carefully.

"Is it something with the case?"

"New case." He said, sighing heavily.

"A new case?"

"Yeah, they found a body in the tidal basin, apparently it had been weighted down, but it didn't work well." He whispered. "I need to take you home, and…"

"You don't have to take me home, I can come too."

"No, absolutely not." He said, starting to usher her toward the table. "Let's pay the bill, I'll take you home, and then I need to get out to the crime scene. They already called Cam, she's on her way."

"Booth, I don't need a sitter, I can make my own decisions, you don't have to take me home."

"Bones, I'm taking you home."

"Booth, no."

"Yes." He said, stepping to the table, he summoned the waiter and asked for the check. He turned to see that she had her 'game' face on, and was not about to back down. "I'm not taking you to the crime scene. You made this decision for yourself. You're not working with me on cases right now, I accept that."

"I want to work on this with you."

"No." He replied, handing the waiter his credit card as he watched Brennan glare angrily at him. "I'm dropping you off at home, and I will call you in the morning."

She took a step back stubbornly, her eyes narrowing. She watched him take the check and his card from the waiter, and took care of the bill quickly. She waited until he was mid signature. "I'll take a cab." She said, grabbing her bag from the chair.

"Bones." Booth said as she turned and started for the door. "Bones, please." He said, walking quickly behind her, he wanted to take her arm, but thought better of it. It wouldn't have been the first time he had been on the wrong end of her fist. "Please." He said, as she pushed the door open and walked out onto the sidewalk. She turned around and faced him, nearly running into him. "Let me take you home."

"You have a crime scene to get to." She said stubbornly. "I accept that. Logically, it would be faster if you went directly there, and I took a cab home."

"I don't want you to take a cab home."

"Well then." She said, looking up into his eyes. "It appears that neither of us is going to get what we want tonight, doesn't it?" She said, lifting her hand as the cab pulled up to the curb. She went to pull the handle, but his hand found it first.

"Bones."

"Have a good evening, Booth." She said, swiping his hand from the handle, she pulled at it first, and climbed into the cab.

"This was your decision, Bones." He replied.

"Goodnight. Please be careful." She said, reaching across to grab the door, she closed it tightly, and before Booth could really call out to stop her, the cab was pulling from the curb, and without so much as a glance, she was gone.


	28. Control, or Something Like It

Brennan's fingers ticked away at the keyboard loudly, her frustration going into each and every keystroke as the time passed slowly. She had started on her way back to her apartment, but knew that the moment she would arrive there, she would find herself in a state of blatant annoyance. She wasn't angry as much as she was annoyed, and she wasn't annoyed at him, as much as with herself. He was right, she had been the one to make the rules, and she was the one to draw the line. Though she was fairly sure that she was also the one that was allowed to cross the line if she wanted, perhaps even slip her toe over the line just this once.

She wanted so badly to be angry at Booth for obeying her wishes, but the more she weighed it all out in her mind, the more she came to the understanding that he was right. She slammed her finger down on the enter key and sat back in her chair, feeling it rocking beneath her weight. She let out a heavy sigh as she tapped a few keys and returned to her empty screen, her eyes flashing to the clock at the corner, and then to her silent phone.

She thought that she heard movement in the lab, but was certain it was just a security guard making his rounds. She stretched her back and yawned, wondering if the time she had spent here till the early hours of the morning had been sufficient enough to cool her down, she rested her head in her arms for a moment on the desk, quietly lamenting on the evening. She closed her eyes for just a moment, a tender smile on her lips as she felt a whisper of a chill slip down her spine.

She felt as if she had just fallen asleep, when her cell phone began to ring insistently, and unguarded and groggy, she swung the phone to her ear. "Brennan." She rasped gingerly, her eyes focused on her desk. She hadn't even realized that she had been sleeping for nearly an hour, or that there was an impression of the keyboard on the side of her face.

"Bones? What are you doing at the lab?" He asked.

"Booth?" She paused. "I'm not at the lab." She said, looking up at the doorway, she glanced to her phone and then pressed it to her ear. "Where are you?"

"I'm at the lab." He said, turning the corner to her office, he watched her eyes widen for a moment, before they narrowed again. "Are you going to answer my question? Why are you in the lab sleeping, when you could be at home, tucked comfortably away in your bed, dreaming of your handsome boyfriend."

"Because my handsome boyfriend sent me home alone."

"I recall that he was going to bring you home, and that you opted to abandon him on the curb." He said into the line, leaning against the doorframe, they were still talking through the phone, and he smiled when her eyes flickered to her desk.

"I wasn't ready to go home." She replied. "I was having an enjoyable evening, and it was rudely interrupted by a work engagement."

"Was it ruined?" He asked sincerely.

"No." She replied, looking back up at him.

"Are you angry at your handsome boyfriend?"

"No." She whispered.

"Will you let your handsome boyfriend take you home now?"

She paused, letting her lower lip slip into her mouth for a moment, she sighed. "Yes." She paused. "But I just have to get you off the phone first, so that I can call him to pick me up." She said, allowing her smile to brighten, and her nose crinkled as she let out a laugh. She laughed harder when his jaw dropped and he snapped his phone closed.

He pointed his finger and took a step forward, leaning across her desk. "You are not funny."

"I'm a little funny." She said, tipping her face to look up at him, she leaned forward slightly, letting their foreheads almost touch.

"Are you going to let me take you home?"

"Yes."

"Good." He said, closing his eyes he captured her mouth with his, tasting her for a moment, he was pulling away, when he felt her hand grasp his tie. His eyes opened in surprise, and were met with a pair of passionate blue orbs staring back at him.

"I'm sorry." She whispered.

He nodded just slightly, acknowledging her apology with a tender smile. "Let me take you home." He said, taking her hand, she accepted his gesture, and with a swipe of her hand, she grabbed her purse, a flick of her finger, and her computer screen was off, and without losing eye contact once, he gracefully escorted her from the office, her arm firmly planted around his.

* * *

Booth walked her out to his car, helped her inside and walked around to the driver's side. When he settled himself into the driver's seat, he looked to see that she had tipped the passenger seat a bit. She watched him for a moment, his hand turning the key, he paused. The car was running for a minute or two, warming the car slowly. Her eyes were on the clock, noting that it was nearly four thirty in the morning.

"Booth?" She said, rolling her head to the side, he glanced to her. Their eyes locked for a moment, and his brow furrowed in question. "Why did you punch the truck that night?"

His eyes darkened slightly, and he shook his head. "We don't have to discuss that."

"I've been thinking about it. I want to make sure that you're feeling better." She whispered, shifting slightly so she could see him a little better in the shadows.

"I can be honest, right?"

"I require it."

"Okay." He paused. "I…" He started, looking out the window. He felt her hand fluttering over his chest, resting softly against him. "I just…"

"You want some control?" She asked, her fingers tucking around the tie. He turned his head and let his eyes meet hers. "Control is highly overrated."

"Bones." He whispered, nearly begging with his voice. He swallowed hard. "You're beautiful." He watched the flicker of a smile, and then her eyes dropped to her hand, where she was gently kneading the tie between her fingers. "You're beautiful." He stammered.

"You've already said that." She whispered. "What's wrong?" She asked, when she saw that he was tapping his fingers nervously. "Do you want to be the one to make the next move?" She asked.

"Bones." He whispered, feeling the gentle pulling at his tie, as she moved nearer to him. "Bones." He whimpered.

When they were nearly nose to nose, their eyes staring into the depths of the others. She smiled and her eyes showed her amusement. "Make your move, Booth. I'm waiting." She said in a throaty voice.

He sucked in a deep breath and touched her hand, sitting back in his seat quickly, he closed his eyes. "I'm taking you home." He said, listening to the gentle laugh that whispered from her, he tried to catch his breath, and regain the threads of control, that he was sure had disappeared into the early morning hours.


	29. Lights Out

By the time they made it to Brennan's apartment, it was nearly four thirty in the morning. Booth pulled the car into park and they sat in a bit of a daze for a moment. She was the first to turn her head, watching his eyes stare blankly at the windshield. "You are not driving home." She said, his eyes were still focused on the windshield, and a smile spread slowly onto his lips. "Booth?"

He turned his head, leaning his head back on the head rest, his smile turned more solemn, but he was obviously humored, despite his exhaustion. "And what do you suppose I do?"

She leaned forward and pulled the keys from the ignition, watching his eyes focus on her hand, and then back to her eyes. "Come in and sleep." She said, pulling on the handle, she climbed from the car. She watched him think for a moment, "I have your keys, Booth." She said. "You're not going anywhere."

He sighed and nodded, climbing from the car, he closed the door and listened to the harsh beep of the alarm engaging, while he walked around the front of the car. He shivered from the cold, his feet crunching in the snow as he reached the other side of the car where she stood, her arm waiting for him. He wrapped his arm around her shoulder, and together they walked toward the apartment. Once in the building, they made their way quietly toward her apartment, the elevator ride was quiet but familiar, and her gentle smile of permission made him feel more comfortable once the door was unlocked and they entered her home.

He breathed in her scent, the entire apartment filled with her essence, a mix of cinnamon and cedar, mixed with the soft odor of old books and her perfume. He was focusing on everything but her, and when she locked the door behind them, he nearly jumped at the sound. It took him a moment, but he realized that her soft voice was beckoning him, and when he finally turned to her, her hand was already on his tie. "What are you…"

"It's time for bed." She said softly, tugging at the knot on his tie, she loosened it tenderly, and pulled it over his head, her hand automatically moving to his suit jacket.

"Bones." He said, tipping his head as if he were trying to deny the attention she was giving him, but there was no resistance.

"You can't sleep in your jacket." She said simply, a statement which was both true, yet odd falling from her lips, and her hands slipped under the lapels of his jacket. She paused. "Am I being too pushy?" She whispered.

"No." He said, putting her hands in his, she simply smiled and tugged at the lapels, pulling his jacket down his shoulders. He turned to his side and pulled the jacket the rest of the way off, and she dropped it unceremoniously onto the couch. He kicked his shoes off, and she did the same, shoving them to the side so they wouldn't be in the walking path. She then touched his shoulder and turned him, pushing him from behind, her hands on his shoulders. "Bones…" He said, a laugh on his lips. "Where are you taking me."

"To bed." She said, and with that, all movement stopped. He turned his body in one movement, and she quirked an eyebrow. "To sleep." She said. "We're both adults."

"Right." He nodded.

"I know, sometimes you forget." She said with a half smile, before moving around him, she headed toward the bedroom. "I have to get ready for bed." She said, turning her eyes to him. "Pick your side, get comfortable."

She disappeared into her bedroom and Booth lingered for a moment, his eyes on the open door, and his thoughts on the open invitation. He stepped into her room, and could see her shadow on the wall in the bathroom, the water was running in the sink, and he found himself captivated by the movement of the dark shadow on the wall. He was beyond tired, and beyond formalities, so with no pause, he began to unbutton his shirt. He pulled it down his shoulders and off his arms, dropping it onto the cedar chest at the end of the bed, he looked down at his belt buckle. His eyes traveled to the shadow on the wall, and back to his belt buckle, and her words echoed in his mind. "We're both adults." He mumbled to himself.

"What was that?" She asked from the bathroom, poking her head around the corner, he shook his head, and her eyes lingered on his chest for a moment, before meeting his eyes again.

"Nothing." He replied, moving his hand from his belt buckle, he suddenly felt very self conscious. He gave her a nervous smile and she smiled back, disappearing back into the bathroom. He could hear her humming a soft tune as the water turned off, and he thought that it was now or never. So in one fell swoop, he unbuckled his belt and slipped his pants down onto the floor, and before she reappeared in the doorway, he was tucked under her blankets, in just his boxers, his head resting on a pillow, his eyes focusing on the ceiling.

The next thing he saw was her grinning face, looking down at him curiously. "You're going to sleep like that?"

"Like what?" He asked, lifting an eyebrow, she shook her head.

"On your back like that." She said, watching him curiously. "You look like a corpse." She said, crawling into the side of the bed he chose for her. She rolled onto her side to face him, and he continued to stare at the ceiling. She moved closer to him and rested her hand on his shoulder, and she watched him take a deep, controlled breath. "Are you a corpse?" She asked in a sweet voice. She watched his head turn, and her grin turned a bit devilish. "Are you alright?" She asked, rubbing her thumb across his shoulder blade, she could see that he was finding it very difficult to breathe.

"I'm fine." He said, feeling her hand start to migrate down toward his chest, his hand swung up and slapped down on hers, and she let out a gasp. "We're going to sleep." He said, rolling onto his side, he reached his arm around her and pulled her toward him. She let out a squeak of surprise and welcomed his strong arms around her. With a tender kiss to her neck, he felt her push into him a little more.

"Booth?" She whispered.

"Mm…?"

"Thank you for taking your pants off. The last thing I needed was 'cocky' pushing into my back all night long."

There was a long pause, when neither of them breathed, she waited for his response, and he waited for her to give in, but in the end, it was Brennan that let the first laugh escape, and with a quick reach to turn off the bedside lamp, the laughing pair were ensconced in darkness, as sleep quickly whisked them away on a dream filled rest.


	30. Game on

When Brennan's eyes flickered open, the first thing she felt was a pair of soft lips invading her neck. She kept her eyes closed for as long as she could, her back pushed into a warm body, the sun streaming in through the window, he hit a spot just below her ear and it was like pushing a button. She squirmed a little in his arms, and let out a sigh, trying to move her neck from his reach.

"Stay still, I'm not done." He whispered into her ear, holding her tightly in his arms, she continued to move. "Bones…" He whispered in her ear.

"Not done what?" She asked, rolling in his arms, she was now facing him, her eyes dancing over his features.

He dropped a kiss on her lips, and rested his forehead on hers. "I was trying to make the moment last… and you had to go and ruin it, didn't you?" He said.

"A moment only lasts a moment." She replied. "Which is why we call it that. What you're experiencing is heightened sexual arousal."

She expected a smile, or maybe a scoff, but what she got was a moment of surprise, and he started to pull away. "Where are you going?" She asked, confused by his sudden departure, she felt helpless as he rolled out of the bed and stood up.

"Getting up." He replied, reaching down for his pants, he started to pull them up over his boxers, and glanced to her, noting the look of panic on her face. "I should go."

"You don't have to go." She said, scrambling to stand up, "You don't have to go, Booth."

"I should."

"Why?"

"Because I feel like I'm in the middle of a game and I haven't been told the rules, and all that I can see, is that I'm losing."

"This isn't a game!" She said, as desperation, moving around the bed, she moved to get in front of him, but he turned and grabbed his shirt, moving out of her reach.

"Then what is it, Bones?" He asked, turning toward her, as he buttoned his shirt, his eyes were filled with annoyance, and she felt a deep pang of guilt for allowing things to get like this. "Why am I here? You make demands, you make requests, and when I ask you to stay still for just one more minute, you're back to talking about sex as if it means nothing to you! You act like I am just some kind of toy for you to play with because you don't want to be alone. What do you want from me?" He snapped.

Her initial expression was one of surprise, and her mouth opened just a little as her mind attempted to form a response, and in a move that could have been described as desperation or simply need, she closed the gap between them, and pressed her lips against his. Her hands gripped his newly buttoned shirt, and she could hear his grunt of surprise against her mouth. She thought that he would pull away, she expected him to reject her, but his arms wrapped instantly around her, and he accepted her kiss wholeheartedly. Her hands gripped his shirt tighter, and she felt his hands on her shoulders, as his thumbs dug into her softly, and he pushed them both toward the bed, sending them toppling onto the mattress, she scrambled on top of him, refusing to release his lips from his. The kiss became more passionate, and she could feel his need immediately, and pulled from his lips. They both breathed heavily, and his eyes were not wide with surprise as she had expected, but lovingly centered on hers. She tried to catch her breath and caught a mischievous glint in his eyes. "I'm sorry."

"It looks like I may have figured out this game, after all." He said, a breathless smile on his lips. He watched her eyebrows lift, and he let out a slight laugh.

"You exasperate me."

"What do you want from me, Bones?" He whispered, still trying to catch his breath. "Do you want me to give you a baby? Do you want me to be your boyfriend? Do you want me to be your partner? What do you want?"

"Yes." She admitted, with no further explanation.

"Which one?"

"All of them." She swallowed. "I thought that I wanted to take this slowly. I thought that… there was something about me that you wouldn't like, the me that isn't Doctor Brennan, the me that is not inundated with work and busy chasing after murderers. I didn't know if you would like the real me."

"I love the real you." Booth whispered. "The real you, is the person that I see every day at work, outside of work, weekends… you don't pretend to be someone else, Bones. I think that is why I love you so much. You seem to think you're hiding in a web of safety when you're outright, truthful, and brash… but what you're really doing is showing me the real you."

"You think that the real me is brash?"

"I think the real you wants people to think you are."

"And what do you think?"

"I think that you don't have to worry about my feelings for you, now, or ever. What we have is built on trust. The only way things between us could go bad is if we're dishonest with one another."

"I have no plans to be dishonest to you, Booth."

"And I have no plans to be dishonest to you." He said, leaning up to catch her lips with his own.

When the kiss was broken, their eyes were locked. "Would you be interested in making love to me?" She asked, swallowing her anxiousness, the question felt awkward on her lips.

"No." He paused, watching the surprise and fear start to reappear in her eyes, he reached up and touched her cheek. "But I would be honored to make love with you." He said, capturing her lips again, they melted into one another. Neither took control, but both reached out and gathered the other peacefully into each other's arms, bodies and souls, until they both fell into the bed in collective exhaustion, still clinging to one another well into the afternoon.

* * *

The End.


End file.
